The Little Pony Legend: Tales of Equestria
by MaggiesHeartLove
Summary: A continuing of The Little Pony Legend. Join Twilight Sparkle, the Mane Six and a new friend as they have adventures and learn the true meaning of friendship. RE-makes of season 4, with a new friend to join in the fun. Avatar Korra!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody!**

**I should warn you, in order to understand this story better, you're gonna have to read my previous stories in this saga. **

**The Little Pony Legend. **

**A Legend of Korra/MLP crossover story. It's basically my own re-telling/re-invention of the four seasons of Korra mixed with characters and story elements from MLP series. Not to spoil anything but here are a few things to look forward to IF you decided to check it out; action, comedy (curtesy of Pinkie Pie!), mystery, romance, great morals of love and sacrifice, ponies bending, an Avatar learning magic, a mouse queen, three reformed bad guys, and above all…The Magic of Friendship!**

**Just head on over to my FanFic profile page and you're right on your way. For those of you who are familiar with the story; welcome back!**

**So, after the NightMare's Return, here is the first part of my new series; "Tales of Equestria" stories based on episodes from MLP season 4, which happen in between books 1 and 2, and two extra stories taking place between books 2 and 3. One starring Varrick and another starring Rarity with pro-bending. Oh, how hilarious will that situation be. WAIT! No spoilers, no spoilers!**

**Anyway, sadly I will not be the one to tell you guys these stories. So, instead I will leave them to the hands (and paw) of my very good friend.**

**DISCORD!**

…**..**

**Discord?….Dude?….Seriously? WAKE UP!**

_"What? Who? What? Where? Oh, it's you. What do you want?"_

**It's time.**

_"Wait, are you serious? You come into my home and…hey, where are you? Are you invisible?"_

**Technically, I'm just a voice. I'm the one who wrote the Little Pony Legend stories, remember?**

_"Well what do you want from me, then?"_

**Duh! I need you to tell everybody the stories about when Korra was with the Mane Six.**

_"Everybody knows that story! The ponies save Equestria, find a book, go to Republic City, meet Korra, stop Amon, then UnaVaatu, then Zaheer, then Sirens, NightMare Moon, Kuvira, Twilight gets a castle with a map, Korra and Mako get hitched, something about Raava turning into a butterfly, The End."_

_***SLAP!***_

_"OW! What was that for?!"_

**What? It's in the past**

_"Don't we have enough Disney references in these books?"_

**I love Disney, so sue me! Besides, I was talking about what happened after Korra and the Mane Six stop Amon. What adventures she had in Equestria, how did she and Mako develop as a couple, how she had something to do with the revelation of the keys thing..."**

_"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm pretty sure I've got one of those here on my shelf. Now, let's see…hey, what about this one? It's called "Crysta-""_

**NEXT!**

_"Okay, okay! Here it is; Tales of Equestria."_

**Great! You take care of telling the stories to the readers while I get back to the real world. Oh no!**

_"What?"_

**My 'abuelita's' babbling about the dog barking again. Gotta go, latter-"Abuela, te dje que a Katia le gusta ladrar a los pajaros! Ella no esta enojada"**

_"I wish I spoke Mexican."_

**I'm Puerto Rican!**

_"Okay! Okay, on with the story. So, ever wondered what adventures Korra had in those six months after defeating Amon? Well, turn the page and find out my friends….Hey, disembodied voice, you okay over there?"_

**Yeah, my mom and grandma are just blabbering about stuff I don't care about it. **

_"Marriage?"_

**Worse….neighborhood gossip.**

_"Ooooohhhh, did Stephanie and Joshua get back together?"_

**I don't even know who they are. Wait, how to you know?**

_"The women in your family are pretty loud."_

**Just get to the books already.**

_"I will…right after the theme song!"_

_(~)_

_My Little Pony_

_My Little Pony_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah_

_What is friendship all about?_

_My Little Pony, My little Pony_

_Friendship is Magic!_

_Oh!_

**Korra;**

"I'm the Avatar! You gotta deal with it!""

_The Little Pony Legend!_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_I use to wonder what friendship could be._

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_Until you all shared its magic with me_

**Twilight;**

_When I was young I was too busy to make friends_

_Such silliness did not seem worth the effort it expends_

**Korra;**

_But my little ponies, you opened up my eyes_

_And now the truth is crystal clear; as splendid summer skies_

**Korra and Twilight;**

_And it's such a wonderful surprise!_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_I used to wonder what friendship could be._

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_Until you all shared its magic with me_

**Korra;**

_When dangers makes me wanna hide, you'll Rainbow Dash to my side!_

**Rainbow;**

_Yeah, that's right!_

**Korra;**

_Kindness is never short supply, once smitten twice Fluttershy_

**Fluttershy;**

_Awww!_

**Korra;**

_For honesty no pony can deny, you are the Applejack of my eye_

**Applejack;**

_Yeha!_

**Korra;**

_A heart that shines so beautiful, a Rarity to come by_

**Rarity;**

_Fabulous!_

**Korra;**

_And you all make fun and laughter as easy as Pinkie Pie!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_I wanna see you smile smile smile!_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_I used to wonder what friendship could be._

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_Until you all shared its magic with me_

**Spike;**

_Big adventure_

**Bolin;**

_Tons of fun_

**Asami;**

_A beautiful heart_

**Mako;**

_Faithful and strong_

**Jinora;**

_Sharing kindness_

**Korra;**

_It's an easy feat_

**Together;**

_And magic makes it all complete!_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_I used to wonder what friendship could be._

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_Until you all shared its magic with me_

_Our friendship's magic and it's growing all the time_

_A new adventure waits for us each day is yours and mine_

_We'll make it special every time!_

_We'll make it special every day!_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_What a wonderful wonder friendship brings_

_(The Little Pony Legend)_

_Do you know you're all my very best_

_Yes you are my very best_

_Friends!_

_(~)_

_"Maggie does not own MLP or Lok, or the songs. This is purely fan-made."_

_-Discord._


	2. Castle Mania

_"Hello my little friends. I am Discord, everyone's favorite spirit of chaos. Well, I use to be. Now, I am 100% reformed. Last time, I was given a very important task by someone I…shouldn't mention by name or else she will…hang on."_

_(takes out a piece of paper and reads it with reading glasses)_

_"Hunt me down like the little weasel I am, and once I'm caught she will rip out my eyes and shove them down my throat sow I can see her tear my carcass wide open. Oh, wait! Sorry, that was the script for another story. Here it is!-She will tell everyone my actual name. AHHHHHHHH! _

_(Throws paper away)_

_"Okay, um, I believe I've delayed long enough. So, may of you might know of the story about how Avatar Korra and the Mane Six came together and…wait, you don't know? You haven't read the story? Well, go on ahead. I'll wait._

…

_Wow, back so soon? You guys are fast readers. Okay, now that you are up to speed, here we will be talking about the adventures Korra and the Ponies had after Amon was defeated. _

_Back when the girls had yet to uncover the mystery behind the Rainbow Chest, the team headed out to the old castle of the two pony sisters Celestia and Luna. However, while there, they uncovered a bit more than what they were looking for."_

**(~)**

**Castle Mania**

Princess Twilight Sparkle groaned loudly as she slammed the book shut and tossed it to the wall, nearly missing Spike's head. The little dragon was dusting while wearing his pink apron and looked at his friend with concern.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

"Ugh, I've gone through every book in Ponyville, Spike, and there isn't a single mention of the mysterious chest that came from the Tree of Harmony, nor anything about keys to unlock it!"

Twilight outstretched her hooves, showing the tall piles of books around her room, showcasing she had been searching non-stop. She had gone though the exact same thing before when trying to uncover the mysterious book which eventually led them to travel to Republic City and meet Avatar Korra.

"But something tells me that opening is pretty important."

"Hello!" a voice was heard downstairs, "Anypony home?"

Twilight's face gleamed with happiness, "We're up here, Korra!"

"Ow!" The female Avatar had hit her head against the ceiling. While the house still allowed her to enter, she still needed to squat a bit due to her much taller size. Thankfully, Twilight's home was much bigger.

"Hey, Twily. Whoa, what happened in here?" she asked, looking at all of the books.

"She's still trying to figure out what that mysterious box is." Spike answered.

"Again? You've been at it for weeks now. You totally missed out, last weekend Mako babysat the Cutie Mark Crusaders and, well let's just say things got crazy."

"I'm sorry I've been out of sorts for a while," said Twilight, "But I can't stop thinking about what that box holds. And don't tell me _you're_ not curious." she said as she hovered next to another pile of books, flapping her alicorn wings.

"Well, I am. Maybe Princess Celestia has some ideas." Korra suggested.

"But if the library in Canterlot doesn't have anything, I-I don't know where else to look!"

The pile of books began to shake and tumble, landing on Spike, who yelped from the impact. Korra removed the books from his head, and the dragon then belched, allowing a letter to appeared from his dragon's fire. Twilight levitated the letter and started reading. It was from Celestia.

"My dearest Twilight, while it would be perfectly lovely to have you in Canterlot once more, I have another option in mind much closer to Ponyville."

Korra read the rest, "As you know, the ancient castle that I once shared with Princess Luna lies mostly in ruins, deep in the Everfree Forest. But if you look carefully, you may find a book that could prove helpful to your research, hidden somewhere in what's left of the castle library."

Korra gasped, her eyes twinkling with glee. "Old castles, dark scary forests and mysterious chests?…What more could a girl ask for?"

Twilight simply rolled her eyes while smirking, "So, I'm guessing this means you'll-" in a gust of wind, Korra was already waiting downstairs. "-want to come?"

"Let's go, pick up the paste guys!"

(~)

The three friends made their way through the Everfree Forest. This was the first time Korra was seeing it first hand. It looked just as depicted by the townponies; scary, unusual plants, but overall, it didn't seem that scary to her.

"So this is the so called scary Everfree Forest? Doesn't seem so bad."

"Well, some ponies do tend to exaggerate at times." Twilight said, and another topic came to her mind, "So, how are things with the new boyfriend?"

Korra suddenly flinched when the pony mentioned the 'B' word, "Oh, um, things are going great. Just…great."

"You don't sound like it's going great."

"It is, really. Actually, it's a lot better than I thought it would be." she said the last part with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. But before the conversation could go on, Korra's eyes widened when she spotted a bridge covered in fog. The fog dispersed and on the other side stood an old castle, its roofs collapsing and trees and vines grew all around.

"Wow…is this it?"

Twilight nodded, "Yep. The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

The place was bigger than Korra had expected as she and her friends walked deeper inside. She could only imagine how beautiful the place must have been before Luna turned into NightMare Moon. She always did wonder who she was exactly. Was she really Luna fueled by jealousy, or a separate entity all together? Maybe one day she would find out the answer.

They came across the old throne room, which had two beautiful tapestries, depicting Luna and Celestia individually. The art style was not a hundred percent accurate to the Princesses' real designs, but still, it was a stunning sight. Korra's eyes were so fixated in the images of the alicorns that it took Twilight's voice calling out her name to snap her back to reality.

Finally, they reached their true destination; The Library.

The minute they walked on, Twilight's eyes widened in wonder and she gasped. The place was practically destroyed, even the roof was no more, allowing the sunlight to shine thought, and desks were skittered across the floor. However, the books remained in tack. And there was _a lot_ of them. Korra giggled when Twilight began flying around the place, gushing over the amount of books on the shelves.

"Wow! Look at all these ancient books! It's a veritable goldmine of information! I can't believe it! Woo-hoo!"

Spike, on the other hand, never was a big fan of large, dark, scary, abandoned castles. He looked around, only to trip on some books, his body becoming covered in spider webs, and screamed when he saw the head of a large alicorn statue.

"AH! Uh, heh-heh. So, uh, Twilight. Uh, ready to head home?"

"Are you kidding? This place is perfect!" the alicorn princess dove into the pile of books, all too eager to read them all.

Korra may not be much of a bookworm like Twilight, but she was always curious about Equestrian history. As she looked at one of the shelves she spotted a book entitled "History of the Alicorn". Her eyes gleamed with excitement. This was her chance to learn more about the alicorns an their magic. However, when she opened the book, she was surprised to find that the pages were all blank. She flipped through them all, inspecting the covers of the book but there was nothing. Even the name of the pony who wrote it was absent.

"That's weird."

Korra was now more curious to find as to why the book was blank, and if there were any others with knowledge of alicorns and their magic. As the two girls looked around for books, Spike hid behind a rock, his teeth chattering as spiders scurried across the floor.

(~)

Rose colored eyes stared into emerald green orbs. The two ponies were stone focused, waiting for the other to flinch.

"I'm not gonna move. _You_ move."

"Uh-uh. There is _no way_ I'm movin'."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were engaged in a fierce competition with one another at Sweet Apple Acres. The two were completely covered in a swarm of bees, safe their eyes. Once again, the two were competing over who was the most daring pony. Pinkie was the judge, she sat beside a pink table, along with her pet alligator Gummy.

"This is the most daring dare anypony ever dared dare another pony to dare!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack asked, "Huh?"

"It's exciting!"

A male pony wearing a bees keeper outfit walked up to the ponies, "Uh, whatcha'll doing?"

"Rainbow Dash and Applejack are competing for the title of "Most Daring Pony"! This is the final test: the Bee Stare! Last pony to blink wins!"

But the pony was not amused, "… I'm gonna need my bees back."

"But then we'll never find out who the Most Daring Pony is!" Rainbow said.

"Eh, sorry about that." he whistled and the bees all left Rainbow and Applejack's bodies, revealing that they were wearing bees keepers outfits too this whole time.

"Well, what do we do now?" Applejack asked, removing her hat.

"Don't worry, ladies," said Pinkie Pie, "I've been keeping excellent score all day!" she looked over at her notebook, "Hmm, move the decimal, carry the 2, and... Congratulations! You're tied!"

Applejack; "Tied?"

Rainbow Dash; "You can't be tied for the _Most_ Daring Pony!"

"I dunno! Numbers don't lie!" using her mouth, Pinkie showed them the notebook with the 'scores'. Which were really just doodles, much to Rainbow and Applejack's dismay.

"I'd love to stay and keep keeping score, but I promised to help test the new school bell. I get to ring it all week, nonstop!" Pinkie wiggled her tail, which Gummy was bitting on, "And I don't even have to take turns, because no one else volunteered!"

Rainbow Dash removed her bees keeper outfit, "Okay, no problem. We just have to come up with _another_ daring dare. You sure we can't have another bending battle?"

"Not since what happened the last time." Applejack stated, remembering the last battle they had, which resulted in Applejack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith to clean up the damage in the farm. Rainbow Dash helped clean up the mess as well, the events being partly her fault as well.

Rainbow blushed in embarrassment, "Eh, he, yeah."

The two ponies then received an unexpected surprise visit. "Hey, girls."

"Mako!"

The young firebender approached the two, waving and smiling at them. Much like Korra, his appearance also changed. He was still taller than Korra and most of his friends, he still wore his signature scarf around his neck.

"What brings ya here?" A.J. asked.

"I heard Korra was in Ponyville" he said, "Have you seen her?"

Rainbow shook her head, "Sorry Mako, haven't seen her."

"Gonna ask her out for another date?" Applejack asked with a smirk, and the firebender blushed while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, it's, um…it's more…private, actually."

The two ponies looked at each other in surprise before turning back to him. "You're not gonna pop the question, are ya?" Applejack asked, making the firebender's face redder than his scarf.

"What?! No! No, nothing like that!"

"Good, cause it's still too early for that."

Mako rolled his eyes, "Anyway, if you see her can you let her know I'm looking for her?"

"Sure thing, partner."

"Thanks." just as he was about to leave, Rainbow Dash stopped him by hovering over his head.

"Wait! Maybe you can help us out with something. A.J and me are trying to see who's the most daring pony, but so far we're in a tie. Mind being our referee?"

Mako really didn't have the time for this, especially with what he wanted to talk about to Korra. But, maybe if he spend more time with the two ponies he might run into her at some point.

"Well…"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese!"

Mako was now face to face with his worse enemy….the big shimmery eyes with pouty lips. No cold heartless person could possible resist the innocence that was the Pony stare.

"Alright! You win."

"Yes!"

"I think _I_ might have an idea of what we can do to prove who's the most daring pony." said Applejack, "Question is, you up for it Mako?"

The firebender scoffed, "I've spend my entire childhood in the unforgiving streets of Republic City. I think I can handle whatever you ponies throw at me."

(~)

Meanwhile, two more ponies were also on their way towards the old castle. Rarity and Fluttershy, along with Angel Bunny, were making their way across the Everfree Forest. As always, the shy little Fluttershy was trembling. However, the bold and fabulous Rarity was trotting her way with her head held high, added with a jewel encrusted water skin around her body, containing water for her to use in case anything arises. She was a waterbender pony after all. But they were not the only ones there. Bolin had volunteered to come along with them. He had come into the portal with Mako but went off to see Fluttershy so Pabu and Angel could have a play date. However, Rarity came by and asked the two to assist her. Like good friends, they happily volunteered.

It was the first time Bolin had entered the infamous Everfree Forest. It certainly was spookier than he anticipated. "Um, Rarity? Don't you think it's a little late in the day to be walking through the forest?" he asked, "This, very, very, creepy…forest." he yelped when he heard the sound of something creeping up on his leg, only to find it was a simple spider with a star on its back.

Fluttershy tried to calm his down, "Don't be scared Bolin. It's just a star-spider. This is the time of the year where they find their mate and make families."

Bolin shivered, "I never liked bugs."

"Are you sure we should have brought Bolin with us?" she asked the unicorn, "He's still very new to our world, after all. Though, I'm sure you have a very good reason."

"Simply _the_ most important reason I've ever had in my entire life!" said Rarity

"Oh, well then I'm happy to help. What is it?"

The two friends, earthbender, ferret and rabbit finally made it to the destroyed castle, "I've heard rumors that the Castle of the Two Sisters is filled with the most gorgeous of ancient tapestries in all of pony history! It pains me to think of those magnificent creations rotting away in those old ruins, totally unappreciated."

"I see…" Fluttershy responded dryly with sarcasm.

"Yeah, okay. Makes sense." said Bolin.

"I require your help in _borrowing_ one or two to bring back to the boutique where I can restore them." Rarity said with visible enthusiasm as they reached the old wooden bridge that led to the castle, "Maybe I'll even use the patterns as the inspiration for a new line!"

"That does sound... very important."

Rarity, catching aware of this, cleared her throat, "Yes, well, maybe not _the_ most important thing in my _entire_ life, but retro-ancient classical will be all the rage next season, so it's nothing to sneeze at." right on cue, Rarity sneezed when Pabu and Angel passed by her, their ears and tail tickling her nose. "Ah-cho!"

Fluttershy made it past, no problem, but Bolin was still struggling. The bridge seemed to wobble due to his weight, but the bridge was still sturdy enough to keep him from falling. If only he believed that. Rarity used her horn to levitate Bolin all the way to the other side, the unicorn looking completely unfazed as the young man tried to calm himself.

"Thank you." he said and the friends headed forward to the ruined castle. The two ponies remembered this place very well, having received the Elements of Harmony for the first time and defeated NightMare Moon.

"Um, are you sure you need those tapestries, Rarity?" Bolin nervously as he gazed up at the frightening looking place. A thought Fluttershy could agree with.

"But, of course." said Rarity, "Although, I must admit these ruins _are_ a fright….Just look at all the dirt everywhere! Ugh…" she shook the said dirt off of her hooves. Her horn glowed and bended the water from the skin to wipe her hooves.

Bolin and Fluttershy gasped when their furry pets quickly ran towards the steps of the palace.

"Angel!"

"Pabu!"

The two friends rushed to the two wooden doors while Rarity trotted behind them. But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious cloaked figure followed them.

Once inside, Bolin's eyes bulged open and his jaw dropped at the sight. The palace was even larger inside, with tall stone walls and hallways that led to who knows where, as well as tall crystal windows, already broken due to an epic battle that took place years ago. Seeing his expression, Fluttershy flew up to Bolin's level and closed his mouth, snapping him out of it.

"Wow. This is place is-"

"I know!" Rarity concluded, "It's practically an artistic treasure trove of ancient good taste!"

Fluttershy's ear twitched when she heard thumping, and saw Angel, along with Pabu, thumping his foot to get her attention.

"Angel! Oh, you really shouldn't have run off like that. Ancient ruins are filled with all sorts of things that can hurt you! You could stub your toe, or, or trip on a loose stone... You have to be careful!"

"Uh, Fluttershy."

The pegasus realized that Rarity, Pabu and Angel had already made their way into one of the hallways, while Bolin listened to Fluttershy's nervous rambling.

"Oh."

The two friends followed the others into the hallway. "I wonder what other stuff we'll find in here." said Bolin, "Maybe some jewels and rubies, or a scepter!"

Once they were gone, Twilight, Korra and Spike walked across the balcony from above. Korra held a candle to light the way, having lit it with her firebending.

"I don't think I'll need all these candles, guys." said Spike, "I was really only scared for a second."

"Oh, these aren't for you, Spike." said Korra.

"We're gonna be studying late into the night, and we're gonna need all the light we can get." said Twilight

"Oh, great." Spike sighed in dismay.

"Think you can handle that, Korra?" Twilight asked her friend with a knowing grin. The Avatar scoffed.

"Ha, ha, I see where you're getting at. I may not be the most studious person, or the most organized, or the most patient, but there hasn't been a challenge I can't handle. Besides, learning about Equestrian history? Filled with magic battles, ancient mysteries and unknown creatures? What could be more epic than that?"

Once the three were gone, another group entered the castle: Mako, Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"Well, here we are!" the country pony gestured to the grand throne room.

Mako had heard a bit about this old castle, but he never knew he would see it first hand. "Why are we in the Castle of the two sisters?" he asked, looking around the place before flicking a spider from his shoulder.

"Yeah, what's so daring about this place?" Rainbow asked, "This is where we got the Elements of Harmony."

Applejack galloped up onto the plight of stairs and stood before them, speaking in a dramatic tone. "When I was just a filly, Granny Smith told me of an ancient legend. When Nightmare Moon was banished, not every last bit of her dark magic went with her. Granny used to say, when night falls on the castle, that magic takes the form of... _the Pony of Shadows_!"

Mako simply rolled his eyes, he never was a fan of ghost stories. Unlike his brother, who would have no doubt peed himself if he heard this one.

"That's quite a ghost story, A.J" Mako said with an amused smile, "Though trying to scare the competition doesn't seem like a fair tactic."

"He's right." said Rainbow Dash…then, she realized what she just said, "Did I just agree with you twice on the same day?"

Mako pounded his fists together in victory, "Yeah, new record for me!"

"Ugh." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Play all ya want," said Applejack, "But nopony knows if the stories are true…or not."

Both Rainbow and Mako shared the same 'are you kidding me' stares. There was no way they were going to buy into this Pony of Shadows nonsense.

(~)

At the end of the hallway, Rarity gasped excitedly. She was standing in front of an old and torn tapestry depicting Princess Luna. The clear blue tones and sparkly illuminated outlines reminded her of the water she bended.

"This one is _perfect_!"

Bolin rubbed his chin, inspecting the tapestry, "Well, it certainly could use some restoration." he said, "Then again, I'm no fashion expert."

Rarity's horn glowed and she began bending the water from her pelt, trying to use it as a tentacle-like object to try and lift the tapestry from the hook. However, try as she may, she simply could not due to it being heavy, not even her own water could lift it up. She tried to lift it from bellow, but also nothing. Apparently she still needed bait more practice. She grunted before placing the water back, her horn no longer glowing.

"Fluttershy, be a dear and fly up there and lift it off that hook?" The young pegasus flew up to try and lift it, but to no avail. "Maybe from below?" Rarity called out, earning a sarcastic glare from Fluttershy.

She flew onto behind the tapestry, when suddenly, the wall started to move and flip over, causing both the tapestry and Fluttershy to disappear.

"AH! Where's Fluttershy?!" Bolin began to frantically bang on the wall, screaming out her name, "Fluttershy! Fluttershy! No, no, she's gone! She was too young! Why couldn't it have been me?!"

Rarity stood there, her, Angel and Pabu looking on at Bolin with unamused stares as he brawled like a child.

"Bolin."

"Why?! Why-hy-hy-hy-hy!"

(~)

"I don't see what's so daring about an old legend." said Rainbow Dash. She, Applejack and Mako had made their way into another hallway, "Plus, I don't believe in ghosts."

"Nor should you." said Mako, "It's all just fabricated tales to scare little kids."

"Thank you, walking encyclopedia."

But while the two were talking, Applejack noticed a blue tapestry on the wall beginning to move. "You might wanna rethink your position on that." she said while shaking.

Mako and Rainbow looked up and saw the fabric moving, afterwords a scream was heard from it as well. All three friends were equally shocked to see this.

"Mako, your cue." Rainbow said, her ears lowered in fear.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation for-" suddenly, thunder was heard, followed by lightning, and a shadowy emerged from behind them. Even Mako didn't have an explanation for this. The three friends only reaction was to scream. Lightning flashed once more, causing the image to disappear.

"You saw that, right?" said Applejack to the firebender.

"I saw it. But I don't believe it."

"I have an idea." said Rainbow, "_Run_!"

(~)

"Why?!"

Rarity rolled her eyes and called out his name, "Bolin!"

"What?"

"You do know you're an earthbender, right?"

"…Oh, yeah!" he stepped back, ready to get Fluttershy back, only to have the wall suddenly revolve again, making both Fluttershy and the tapestry to reappear. Bolin blinked.

"Wow. I'm better than I thought."

Fluttershy landed on the ground, grunting, "Ow... I think I hurt my wing." Angel and Pabu rushed over to help her, while Bolin hugged her tightly.

"Fluttershy! You're back!"

"Where did I go?" she asked.

"While you were struggling under that fabric, the entire wall spun around!" said Rarity, "You must have activated a secret door."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Bolin finally released her, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I think so. I'm sure my wing will be better in a bit."

Rarity looked up at the wall, "That tapestry is far too heavy. We'll just have to find a smaller one." she once again took the lead while the others followed. "I suppose these ruins are chock full of secret passages."

"Really?" Fluttershy shivered.

"Absolutely. We must use the utmost care as we—" the two ponies and human screamed when the floor underneath them suddenly opened, revealing another secret door, and they screamed as they fell down.

Angel had accidentally stepped on something on the floor, and received a slap on the head by Pabu, as well as a scorn.

(~)

Mako, Rainbow and Applejack continued to run down the halls, until Mako came to an abrupt stop, ending in an area filled with portraits on the wall.

"Wait a minute! What are you running from?" the two ponies screeched to a halt, facing him. "If we just take a moment to analyze this, I'm sure we can find a logical explanation for what we just saw."

Rainbow spoke up, "Uh, I'd hate to burst your bubble Mako, but you're standing in an ancient castle talking to colorful magical ponies in a world filled with magic! I highly doubt your world's logic is gonna work here."

But Mako was determined to remain firm, "Either way, there is no such thing as ghosts."

"And what if the legend _is_ true?"

Applejack smiled smugly, "Then I guess only the most daring pony of all could stay in this castle all night without being scared."

Rainbow's eyes widened, "Wait? That's why you brought me here? To scare me? Well, news for you; I'm not scared."

"Well, me neither!"

"Then it's settled! Whoever stays in the castle the longest is the Most Daring Pony."

"Deal."

Mako stepped in between the two, "Hold it, hold it. Why don't we just agree that you're both daring ponies and call it a day?"

"What's the matter, tough guy? You're not scared are ya?" Rainbow taunted. However, Mako did tense up a bit.

"What? No, of course not. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just a dusty old castle with dusty old portraits. Me, scared?"

The two ponies then smiled mischievously, "Care to put you money where your mouth is, partner?" said Applejack, "How's about, if you can stay the longest without gettin' scared, then we'll put this wool thing to rest. Deal?"

Mako was hesitant. Should he agree to this juvenile bet or not?"

"Hey, buddy. My hoof's gettin' tired, we got a deal or not."

Mako still didn't want to believe there was a ghost roaming the halls but….maybe, this could be a good way to prove a point to the too. Besides, if he said no the two would never let him hear the end of it. He squatted down and shook A.J's hoof.

"Deal. But it's gonna take a lot more than some shadowy ghost story to get _me_." he said rather proudly as he walked away, with the girls in tow, holding their noses high.

"Me too! Humph!"

Once they left, one of the portraits's eyes was watching them. Perhaps there was more to this Pony of Shadows than they thought.

(~)

Back in the library, Korra, Twilight and Spike sat on a table, with the candle as their source of light, while reading various books. Korra, amazingly, had gone through five books in the past two and a half hours. She had already read books about changelings and how they came to be. About these creatures called sirens and a little biography of Starwirl the bearded. She was especially intrigued by his studies on magic and what he discovered. The young Avatar never knew studying could be so insightful. Then again, it probably had to do with the topic itself. Learning about magic truly did capture Korra's attention and respect. She didn't even know who long it had been, she was too occupied with her studies. Tenzin would be proud…if only magic study was involved in Avatar training, which sadly, it is not.

"Find anything?" Twilight asked, temporarily taking her nose from the book she was reading.

Korra closed her book, having finally read the whole thing, "No. How about you, Spike?"

"Uh, nope. Nothing yet."

Korra took another book from the pile and began reading it immediately. "Wow, that's the sixth book you've read." said Twilight.

"I know. This magic stuff is incredible. You're so lucky, Twilight."

"Come on Korra, you're the one who's got all of the amazing powers. You're the Avatar; sole protector of your world."

Korra placed the book on the table and sighed, resting her face on her chin. "Yeah."

Twilight could immediately tell something was bothering her. "What's wrong?"

Korra sighed before responding, "It's just…I don't know."

"What?"

"Remember when I first stepped foot in Ponyville? Well, when I did I felt…I felt like I…It's hard to explain." Twilight placed the book she was reading down, giving the Avatar her undivided attention. Korra continued, "When I came into your world I felt an incredible sensation creep up from within me. Like simply being here brought me such joy and happiness. I felt like…like I knew I was welcome here. That I belong here, in a way." she chuckled and turned away briefly, "I know. Crazy right?"

"Not at all." Twilight said with a compassionate smile, "I felt the exact same way when you and I first met. When me and the girls first came into your world, we were scared. We didn't think we belonged in your world. But once we met you, we felt like we did. I guess, I didn't really realize it until now that…you reminded us of home."

Korra looked at her in surprise, "I did?"

"Yeah. Crazy right?"

Korra smiled and shook her head softly, "Nah. I can relate." the two girls giggled, their laughter echoing the halls. "I haven't told anyone else about this. If Tenzin found out that I've been sneaking off to Equestria instead of airbending training, he'd throw a hissy fit. I just really want to explore more of this place, learn more about it."

"I completely understand. It's the same way I wanted to learn more about your world."

Korra now felt even more relieved once she told her friend what had been on her mind. Until another topic came to find, and Twilight once again noticed her uneasiness.

"Something else on your mind?" Twilight asked, "Something to do with Mako, maybe?"

Korra sighed and leaned back against the wall, "Yeah."

"I thought things were going great with you guys."

"That's just it. It's_ because_ things are going so great that's got me worried."

Spike closed his book, looking on with a bored expression, "Okay, this is girl talk, so I'll just take my book and read over there." he stood away from the table and walked off to sit in a corner.

"What do you mean your worried?" Twilight asked.

"Okay, you know Mako and I like each other a lot, right?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "Sweetie, everybody knows. You made the front page on the newspaper."

"Well, don't get the wrong idea, I'm glad we're more open towards one another regarding our feelings but…" she placed her elbows on the table, "…when we're together it's always, always so…romantic."

"Ooooookay, I'm _really_ having a hard time seeing the problem here."

"I'm not saying I don't like the romance stuff, I do, I just I always thought what really led to me falling for him in the first place was _because_ of the friendship we had before, and how I got to see who he really was on the inside."

Twilight now understood, "So, you're worried if you remain a couple it might change your friendship?"

"Something like that." she groaned as she placed her hand on her forehead in exasperation, "It's infuriating because I do like going out to dinner and him wrapping his arms around me and when he kisses me goodnight." she blushed as she said these things, "But, I don't want to loose that friendship we had because…it was what made me fall for him in the first place. I just really care about him, even if he does drive me crazy at times, but I've liked a challange."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"I've been trying to but whenever I get the chance I just can't find the words to say. And it doesn't help when he surprises me with flowers or noodles he bought at Narook's and I look into his sweet, golden eyes that I just-"

"You wimp out."

Korra hung her head in shame, "Yes."

Twilight's ears lowered in sympathy, "Korra, I know you and Mako care about each other, and you may not be the most normal couple on the planet, but I can tell you both have something special. Just speak from your heart. I'm sure you'll figure it out together."

Korra looked back at her friend, "Thanks."

"No problem." Twilight said, "In fact, I find this perception of romance…interesting."

Korra noticed the young alicorn blush, "You know Twilight, this may sound a bit 'out there' but, I have a strong feeling you might find somepony for yourself one day. That is, if you want. Do you have anypony in mind?"

Twilight's mind drifted off to somebody she once met both in another plane of existence, and at the Crystal Empire, "Yeah. I think I do. Though, I hardly know him that well yet…but, maybe one day, if fate will allow, I will. One day."

While Spike was reading on a chair in the corner of the hallway, he spotted a book suddenly move in front of him. The little dragon screamed in terror, causing the chair to nearly fall over, only to suddenly stop due to a metallic cord underneath one of the legs. The book was shaken off to reveal both a white rabbit and fire ferret.

Korra blinked, "Angel? Pabu?"

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

Suddenly, the walls began to shake and two of the book shelves dispersed to reveal a dark alley. The event caused the flames of the candles to be blown away. Korra, Twilight, Spike and their furry friends peaked inside, gasping in awe.

It appeared to be some kind of chamber with more book shelves, but also with pillows on the floor, a sofa and two glass windows depicting night and say, respectively.

"Whoa!"

In the center of the room was a pedestal, and a brown book with gold platting rested on top of it. Korra was the first to walk on over to it, dusting the cover and read the words out loud: "The Journal of the Two Sisters." she gasped with excitement, "Maybe this is the book Princess Celestia was talking about!"

Without a second to waste, both she and Twilight rested on the pillows on the floor and opened the book, while Angel and Pabu took their place with the girls. However, a certain young dragon was still uncertain about this strange place.

(~)

Rainbow Dash, Mako and Applejack eventually made it to a spiral staircase that led to who knows where. "I sure hope you're not afraid of the dark, Applejack!" Rainbow taunted as she hovered over the firebender and earthbender pony. Both Rainbow and Mako had flames on their hand and hoof for light.

"I can't say that I am!" said Applejack as she and Mako made their way down, "But even if I was, I'd be at least fifty percent less scared of it than you, Rainbow Dash."

"I dunno how all that math works because I'm not scared at all!"

"Me neither!"

The pegasus rolled her eyes, smiling smugly, "How about you, Mr. Hat Trick? Feeling the goosebumps yet?"

Mako rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Nice try, Rainbow, but no. Besides, if you ladies do get scared you've got a brave firebender to keep you safe. "

"Great, so when does he get here?" Rainbow said before laughing.

Mako narrowed his eyes, "Oh, ha, ha, ha." he laughed sarcastically, "You're so clever."

"Race you guys down there!" Rainbow Dash swooshed down and Applejack galloped ahead while Mako ran close behind. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they once again found themselves in yet another dark alley. All of their cockiness faded, being replaced by both concern, and for some of them…fear.

"W-what's the matter?" Rainbow asked her unresponsive friends, "It's just a dark hallway full of... disembodied pony legs."

The walls were adorned with plates that held the legs of ponies, which held on to spears and other various weapons. How they did that, Mako did not question.

Applejack lowered her hat as the three walked on through, "Yeah. Nothin'... creepy about that."

Mako himself found the scene very unsettling. While he was still skeptical about the shadow pony, that still didn't mean the scenery didn't cause shivers down his spine.

"Uh, maybe you girls should stay close to me. Just in case we get lost." he said, though there was a tint of uncertainty in his voice. The two ponies wasted no time in remaining at his side the whole time they walked. Mako still maintained his flame while Rainbow Dash peeked through the feathers of her wings.

(~)

Rarity opened her eyes, finding her, Fluttershy and Bolin trapped in a dark room, "I'm starting to wonder if maybe this castle doesn't want my expertise!" she made her horn glow, creating a bright light, illuminating the room, which appeared to be some kind of dungeon chamber. Fluttershy and Bolin quickly realized they were missing two of their companions.

"Oh dear. Angel?"

"Pabu? Little buddy? Rarity, have you seen him?"

"I'm not sure they made the trip down with us, dear." said the unicorn.

Fluttershy was already getting worried, "Oh, goodness! We have to find him. An ancient castle is no place for a bunny and a fire ferret. They could get hit by falling debris, or the floor could give out under them!" as she said this, Bolin hugged his legs, trembling at the thought, "Oh! They could be trapped in a dark place with no way out!"

"I can only imagine how that might feel." Rarity said flatly.

Now Bolin was getting anxious, "Oh man, what if we never see them again? What am I gonna do without Pabu? Who's gonna eat dumplings with me? Who's gonna be our pro-bending mascot? Who's gonna help me put whip cream on Mako while he's sleeping?!"

While he was ranting, Rarity found a hall in the wall, looking at it skeptically. "Hmm…"

(~)

Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Mako continued their way down the hallway. Then, Mako suddenly felt something grab his leg, "Applejack, if you're scared, you can just admit it. You don't need to put your hoof around my leg."

"Uh, I'm over here."

He turned his head to see that the two ponies were only two feet behind him. He looked down and saw something white around his leg. His first instinct was to scream.

"AH!"

"AHH!" The two ponies screamed as well before making a mad dash for it, along with Mako.

(~)

Rarity gasped and removed her hoof from the hole. "Rarity! What is it?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

"I felt something... alive!"

Fluttershy gasped with a smile, "Angel!"

"Or Pabu!" Bolin added, equally happy.

Fluttershy stuck her hoof out into the hole, but felt nothing. Then, she did feel something. Unknowingly, she had touched one of the disembodies pony legs on the wall, causing the wall to spin rapidly, allowing the three friends to re-appear on the other side of the wall, into the hallways where Mako, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were previously. Fluttershy noticed she still had her hoof on the hole and took it out. Bolin shook his head, feeling woozy from the experience.

"Wow! That was kinda cool."

But Rarity did not agree, "Well, tapestries or no, I have had just about enough of secret passages, mysterious presences, and unappreciative castles!" her irritated voice echoed through the halls before she took the lead, allowing the other two to keep up. Bolin stood in front of Rarity, stopping her tracks.

"But we can't leave now, not with Angel and Pabu lost somewhere in this dangerous old castle!" he stated, and Fluttershy appeared right beside him.

"He's right. They could be trapped under a crumbling statue, or stuck high in a tower without food or water _or any friends at all_!"

As Rarity walked on ahead, Fluttershy and Bolin began to tear up due to the loss of their furry companions.

(~)

As for Angel and Pabu, they could not have been better. Twilight gave the little bunny carrots while Pabu ate some delicious berries. Korra and Twilight shared the journal of the two royal sisters as they red.

"Spike, you've got to hear this." said Twilight and started to read aloud, "I love to duck behind the paintings, and though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap door slide is Luna's favorite."

"Wow! Who knew Luna was such a daredevil." Korra said impressed.

"Hall of Hooves"? Spike asked, not hiding the fear in his voice. Twilight turned the page and allowed Korra to read the following, looking at blueprints depicting and organ and the trap doors all around the palace.

"Soon the Organ to the Outside will be finished. I can hardly wait."

"What's the Organ to the Outside?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea!" Korra responded happily.

(~)

Underneath, in the darkest room in the castle, a cloaked figure played on a large organ. The sound echoed throughout the place, causing Applejack to slide to a halt.

"You hear that?"

"You mean, the creepy sound of a haunted pipe organ?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh… maybe?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rainbow said worriedly….when the organ sounded once more, even startling Mako. The two ponies held onto the firebender for a few seconds before the three ran down the halls once more.

(~)

"Uh, Twilight? Korra? Did you hear something?"

The two girls were to wrapped up in the book to acknowledge what Spike had said. "Oh, Spike. Quit being such a scaredy-dragon." said Twilight. "This castle is thousands of years old, and half of it was destroyed by Nightmare Moon. Of course it makes strange sounds. It's practically falling apart!"

After she said this, a piece of the roof fell down, starling Spike as he clenched on to a pillow. Angel and Pabu giggled at his anxiety.

"Oh... kay."

"Spike, will you relax?." said Korra, "Nothing's going to happen."

(~)

"Angel! Angel!"

"Pabu! Pab-pabs, where are you?"

"I'm sure we'll find them." said Rarity. Then, she stopped on her tracks, her eyes widening in awe.

"Angel?" Fluttershy and Bolin were interrupted from their search when they heard hysterical yelling coming from Rarity.

"Did you find Angel?" Fluttershy asked.

"Is Pabu okay?"

But it was not the furies who Rarity was gasping at. She was gasping at the two tapestries that hovered over the former thrones that once belongs to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"They are perfect! No castle in its right mind could possibly object to my restoring such exquisite works of art."

"Oh! They're really pretty, Rarity, but... we've have to keep looking for Pabu and Angel." said Bolin.

"Oh, I hope Angel doesn't think I've given up on him." said Fluttershy while Rarity galloped ahead up the plight of stairs.

"I'm right behind you!" instead of asking for assistance this time, Rarity started using her horn's magic to start levitating the first tapestry that stood above Luna's old throne, "Won't… *grunt* be… *grunt* a moment!"

(~)

Rainbow, Applejack and Mako peeked their heads from the wall, looking around for anything creepy to emerge. They stood before yet another hallway, this time alined with pony-metal armor dummies. "Do you think there's a single room in this castle that isn't filled with terrifying things?" Mako asked.

"What's the matter, you scared already?" the country pony taunted, making Mako narrow his eyes at her.

Rainbow Dash approached the lifeless statues, eying it suspiciously. She tapped it with her hoof, causing it to slightly tilt and she gasped, "Whoa!" she quickly turned towards the firebender, instinctively seeking protection. Only to realize what she was doing and laughed nervously, "It's just old pony armor. What's the big deal?"

Applejack began walking ahead, "Yeah! It's not like it's gonna come to life or anything. Right?"

"Of course not." Mako stated, taking up his role as the leader, "Statues don't come to life." however, regarding the logic of the world he was in, he questioned if there was any real truth to this fact.

Another organ sound was heard, and the wall around the pony armor Applejack was standing by suddenly spin and she disappeared. Rainbow was now face to face with just the pony armor, and she screamed in terror.

The organ sounded again, this time causing the wall in front of Rarity to also spin rapidly, and she disappeared as well. Fluttershy and Bolin screamed while hugging each other.

The organ sounded again, this time causing another bowl of carrots and berried to appear for Angel and Pabu.

The organ sounded once more, and Applejack found herself at the edge of the castle roof, near the large gargoyle statues, overlooking the Everfree Forest. Her green eyes looked to her side, lighting struck and she saw a terrifying dragon statue beside her, causing her to scream.

Rarity was tossed out back to the entrance of the castle, her mane and coat getting covered in mud, twigs and levees. In her hooves was the remains of the once beautiful tapestry. She screamed in terror at this.

Spike grew more and more frightened as he continued to hear the sounds of the organ, but his two companions were still occupied with reading the book.

"Seriously guys! You don't hear that?"

Korra rolled her eyes and took the pillow away from the dragon, placing it beside her and gesturing him to take his place with her. "Come on, Spike. Why don't you read along with us? It might help you relax."

(~)

Rarity spit the mud from her mouth and tried to shake the twigs and levees off of her body. She looked up, narrowing her eyes at the old palace. "Now, you look here, castle! You are very old and very scary! But your wall art is in an atrocious state!" the wind whistled, bellowing against her now messy mane, "And there is nothing you can do to keep me from my sacred task of restoration!" the bold unicorn levitated the piece of fabric she had and entered the castle once more.

(~)

Rainbow Dash and Mako were now the only ones left in the hallway. The two kept there flames lit, trying to find Applejack. Mako inspected form behind the pony armors, trying to figure out the mystery of their missing friend.

"There's got to be something here that triggered that door." he said

Rainbow Dash was already shaking, "So, any luck figuring it out yet?"

"Not yet, but I think-Whoa!" the firebender must have done something to cause the wall to once again slip and he disappeared, leaving Rainbow Dash all alone. The pegasus screamed before flying off.

(~)

A very frightened Bolin and Fluttershy called out for their unicorn friend, "Rarity? You still here?" Bolin asked, "I know hiding isn't really your sense of humor, but please let this be a joke!"

While he was trembling, Fluttershy hesitantly approached the throne at the top of the stairs and, very gently, touched the arm of it.

The sound of the organ played again, causing both her and Bolin to scream and run off in a panick.

(~)

Mako screamed as he slid down in the darkness, the castle was clearly filled with secret pathways, too bad it too him this long to figure that out. He finally landed, discovering he had reached a room, landing from the wall, which had opened up to reveal the door before sliding closed again. Mako groaned and noticed three figures in front of him.

"Mako? What are you doing here?"

"Korra?" the firebender stood up with help from the Avatar, rubbing his neck, "I could ask you the same thing." he took a moment to notice his surroundings, "What room is this?"

"It belonged to Luna and Celestia." Korra then showed him the book, "We've been reading this journal. It's filled with all sorts of information about this place. The trap doors, the wall slides, the hall of hooves, even something about an organ. Pretty cool, right?"

Mako blinked, "Trap doors? Organ?"

"Yeah. So, back to my previous question, what are you doing here?"

"Long story short; Rainbow and Applejack made a bet, I tagged along, we got lost and now I have no idea where they are."

Korra and Twilight exchanged concerned looks, "Well, where did you see them last?" Twilight asked.

"In some hallway filled with pony armor."

"Oh, I remember that one." Korra flipped through the pages until she found what she was searching for, "Here it is, on page 14. Come on, let's go get those two before they start 'freaking out'." Korra said the last part with obvious sarcasm. Mako chuckled nervously.

"Ha, ha, yeah. That'd be silly."

(~)

The wall slid once more and Applejack returned to the hall of pony armor. She realized that her two friends were no longer there. She peaked through an opening, seeing a long line of stairs, "Rainbow? Mako? I guess if I don't find you, I win by default, right?" gulping, she made her way down into the darkness.

(~)

Rarity, quite literally, stumbled back into where Korra, Twilight and Spike had previously entered. She grunted as she tried to remove the twigs from her beautiful mane, "Of all the castles in Equestria, this is by _far_ the most ungrateful!-Oof!" she exclaimed angrily, only to have a rock land on her head. The wind started to blow in the evening sky, which could be seen above due to the absent roof. Slowly, the unicorn started to back up.

(~)

Fluttershy and Bolin were also walking backwards, whispering/yelling out for their friends, "Angel! Rarity!" Fluttershy silently cried out, "Oh… I hope you two are together."

"Pabu! Please give me sign you can hear me."

(~)

The wall slid open and Applejack peaked her head, only to be startled by yet another pony armor statue. She jumped away and backed up.

(~)

Rainbow Dash had had just about enough of this silliness as she flew outside, "Haunted statues, creepy armor... Come on, castle! Is that all you got?" thunder sounded off, causing Rainbow Dash to fearfully lower down.

(~)

All was silent, nothing but the sound of hooves hitting against the stone floor. The only rhythm was the hushes of the wind and the beating of hearts, filled with anxiety. When finally, they felt a sudden touch on their flanks.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, even Bolin immediately screamed in terror before galloping, running and flying all around the place in a frenzy. All of their fears had been let loose, no holding back. They were scarred. No lie.

Bolin was running around, his arms waving around like a maniac, while also somewhat sobbing. Rainbow Dash was flying so fast even she couldn't see where she was going. She collided with the tapestry and Rarity slid to a halt as the fabric landed over her.

"I was only trying to restore ancient art!" as she cried she ran around the place with the tapestry covering her face. Two of the leaves from her mane fell on a rock.

Lightning hit and the silhouette of the rock and leaves gave off the image of a bunny, for which Fluttershy mistook for her pet. She gasped and smiled.

"Angel?"

Applejack, in her frenzy, accidentally knocked down a pedestal right on the rock bunny, much to Fluttershy's complete and utter shock as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"_AAANGEEEEEL_!"

(~)

"I told the girls not to be afraid, but they wouldn't listen."

Mako, Korra, Twilight, Spike, Pabu and Angel were calmly walking down the hallways, looking for the one with the pony armor. The Avatar rolled her eyes as the firebender continued to insist he was not scared in the slightest.

"You sure you weren't a _tiny_ bit spooked?"

Mako scoffed, "Please, you know me."

Korra knew he was lying, "Yeah, I do. And you were scared."

Before he could say anything else in defense, they all flinched at the sound of a loud shriek.

"What in the world is that?!" Twilight asked.

"Oh, you know." Spike began as he hid behind Korra's leg, "Probably just more _strange sounds_ of this old castle falling apart!"

"No one likes sarcasm, Spike." the alicorn said calmly.

"It sounds like it's coming from the main entrance." said Korra. The others wasted no time in making their way there. Once they reached the balcony above the entrance, they were remarkably surprised by all of the madness happening before their eyes. Bolin was screaming and wailing, Rarity had a tapestry over her, while also crying, Rainbow was firing all over the place like a torpedo, Applejack was galloping all over like a blind horse and Fluttershy was trying to lift a pedestal for some reason, also while crying.

"It's okay, Angel! You're okay! You're okay!"

"What got into them?" Spike asked, while Mako face palmed himself.

Applejack screamed, "Yaaaaah! Shadows everywhere!"

Mako placed his hands on Korra's shoulder as they both ducked over when Rainbow Dash came zooming by. The two teens, alicorn and dragon all shared the exact same annoyed expressions.

"Yeah, this has got to stop." Korra said calmly before Twilight took immediate action and flew on down, landing on a plight of stairs.

"Alright, everypony, _stop_!"

Her horn glowed brightly, unleashing a spell that automatically froze all of her friends in place. Magenta auras circled around their bodies. Applejack looked up, realizing who the voice belonged to.

"Twilight?"

Fluttershy, while frozen, was still trying to lift up the pedestal, "Must… save... Ange—!"

"Flutters, he's right here." Korra stated, with the little bunny on her shoulder, saluting to his mistress with his ear.

"…Oh."

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, frozen in mid air, "What are you doing here?"

"She's with me…" Rarity said, while still under the tapestry.

Bolin looked up at his brother and teammate, "Korra? Mako? Where did you come from?"

"I should be asking you that, little bro." Mako, Korra, Spike and the two furies walked on down to where Twilight stood and the alicorn deactivated the spell, while also removing the tapestry from Rarity.

"Thank you."

Korra squatted down to Rarity's level, removing the levees and twigs from her mane. "Have you all spent the whole night running around, scaring each other?"

"Well, that depends." said Applejack while Bolin was reunited with his beloved ferret, who jumped into his arms.

"On what?" Twilight asked.

"On whether or not _you're_ the Pony of Shadows." said Rainbow Dash, pointing her hoof at the princess.

"What's… the Pony of Shadows?" Spike asked while trembling.

"Oh, that's just an old ponies' tale." Twilight said calmly to her little dragon.

"That's what I've been trying to tell them!" Mako stated, "I repeat: There is, nor was there ever, anything to be afraid of."

Immediately, after the words left his mouth, the ominous organ music was heard once more. Mako yelped and held Korra tightly, while the others huddled together, hugging Korra, Mako and Twilight for safety while trembling in fear.

"Then who's playing... _that_?" Spike asked as he clung on to Twilight.

The only ones who were not frightened were Korra and Twilight, who eyed the area, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.

"We're going to find out." Twilight said bravely as she and Korra began walking ahead simultaneously, while everybody else held on tightly while still trembling.

As the music continued on, the group walked in deeper and deeper into the hallway, the music growing stronger and stronger. They finally reached a room, where the grand musical instrument stood. On the keyboard sat a mysterious cloaked figure playing the music. The very sight terrified the others, even Korra and Twilight.

"The Pony of Shadows!" the princess whispered.

"It is real." Mako whispered in agreement.

"I told you." Applejack whispered back to him.

However, Korra immediately detected something very off about this so called 'pony of shadows'. All fears left her as she approached the cloaked figure.

"Korra, what are you doing?" Bolin whispered at her.

Korra ignored him as she approached the shadow pony. Once she was right behind her all fears and theories disappeared. Everyone watched in terrow once she lifted the cloak right off…only to reveal a specific little pink pony, smiling back at them all.

"Hey, you guys! Did you know I can totally play the organ? Because _I_ didn't!"

"_Pinkie_?!"

"Yep. Pinkie." Korra said smugly while smiling. "I recognize that happy attitude anywhere." it was true, due to her empathic connection with the ponies, Korra could already sense the pony's hight spirited heart once she walked into the room.

"Check it out!" Pinkie began playing the sports "Charge!" theme on the organ.

"_You're_ the Pony of Shadows?" Rainbow asked.

"The pony of what?" Pinkie Pie simply smiled and continued to play a light melody.

Mako scoffed and turned to his brother, "See? What'd I tell ya?" his younger brother rolled his eyes.

"I thought you went to ring the school bell all week!" said Applejack.

"Oh, yeah! I only had to ring it for, like, five minutes! They said that was good enough! Eh, can't imagine why." as she spoke, both Twilight and Rainbow rolled their eyes, "So then, I decided to throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party! But I didn't have any bluebells, and you _can't_ throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party without bluebells, so I went to Everfree Forest to pick some, but it started to get so chilly." she began playing a lightly tune, "I had to wrap myself up in the tarp I was gonna use to gather flowers, and then I saw Bolin, Fluttershy and Rarity. But they went into the castle before I could invite them to my party. Luckily, I followed them inside so I could help you all with _your_ party!"

"What party is that?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, the "everypony come to the scary old castle and hide from each other while I play the organ" party?" she played the final note on the keyboard, which consequently activated yet another trap, causing a piece of the floor to sproing upwards, causing Spike to fly up and land a few feet behind everyone.

"Duh!"

"So, we were all running around the place like maniacs for nothing?" Bolin said while scratching his neck.

"Looks that way." said Korra.

(~)

After all of that craziness, everybody gathered together in the room where Korra and Twilight were previously. Rarity was sowing the broken tapestries while Bolin and Fluttershy played with their respected furry friends.

"I swear, this is going right back where I found it just as soon as I've returned it to its former glory." Rarity said as she sowed the tapestry.

"Now don't go running off again!" said Fluttershy as Angel nuzzled her nose, "Oh, I can't believe I was so frightened. Guess I let my imagination get the best of me."

"I think we all did." said Applejack.

Mako and Korra both sat on the floor, and the firebender crossed his arms, "Well, I knew the entire time that-"

"Oh, Mako will you stop!" Korra smiled, "Everyone knows you were scared too, just admit it."

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were." Korra said while crossing her arms and smirking.

"Well, I wasn't, okay!" he crossed his arms while pouting.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. So you also got carried away with your imagination."

Pinkie Pie popped in between them, "I _always_ let my imagination run away from me! Then it comes back... with cake!"

Twilight Sparkle sat on the sofa with Spike, still reading the journal she had found, "Well, it's good to know that whenever your imagination is getting away from you, a good friend can help you rein it in."

"Well said, Twilight." said Korra, "And even though we didn't find anything about the mysterious chest, I'm glad we were here to help all of you."

"You both certainly did _that_." said Rarity.

"Yeah! Why weren't _you_ scared?" Bolin asked.

"Reading Celestia's diary made it hard to be afraid, because we knew what it was like when she and Luna lived here." said Twilight, "Knowing something about the past made it easier to deal with my problems in the present, even the scary ones."

Hearing this reminded Korra of something very important she needed to talk with to Mako. "Speaking of dealing with stuff. Mako, there's something I…I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Mako loosened his arms, looking at the Avatar with soft eyes, "Yeah. Me too."

"Really? Why don't you go first. You've been through enough already."

"Okay. Please, don't take this the wrong way. You know how we've been seeing each other, well more intimately these past two weeks?"

"Yeah."

"And while it's been great and all, I couldn't stop thinking that…well, I…I"

"Spit it out!" Rainbow exclaimed, earning scornful looks from the two teens.

"I miss us, okay!"

Korra arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"_Us_, the way we used to be! I don't mind the dates, the hand holding or the kisses goodnight, I enjoy them, but I don't want us to be nothing but lovey dovey all the time. I miss, well _this_. How you're never afraid to tease me or say what's on your mind or tell me when I'm doing something wrong _every_ single time I do it! I miss being the friends we used to be. I don't want us to end our current relationship but I don't want our previous friendship to change. It means too much to me. I guess, I was scared of you regretting to date me at some point that I started to try too hard."

For a moment, Korra was speechless. Her eyes were frozen in place, wide open and her mouth was hung. Both Twilight and Spike shared her exact same reaction. This worried Mako.

"You can say something at any time now."

Much to his remarkable surprise, Korra lunged forward and hugged him tightly, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that!"

"You are?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to say to you this whole time." she backed away, taking in a deep breath, "Oh, what a load off my shoulders."

Mako chuckled in relief, "Wow. Guess we can agree on something."

"Yeah. Who knew."

"So…are we okay, with _this_?"

"Yes. Mako, I do want to explore our feelings for each other a bit more, but I don't want to lose sight of what brought us together in the first place." she placed her hand on his shoulder, "And that was our friendship. Our crazy, messed up yet wonderful friendship."

Mako smiled, "I'd like that." and so, they sealed the deal by hugging. Both feeling a wave of relief overcome them as the ponies swooned.

"I've just thought of a great idea!" said Twilight, "Why don't _we_ keep a journal, just like the royal pony sisters?"

"All of us?" asked Fluttershy.

"Sure! That way we can learn from each other! And maybe some day, other ponies will read it and learn something, too!"

"What a splendid idea!" Rarity said.

"Can me and Mako write stuff too?" Bolin asked.

"Of course. It's for everyone to share."

Applejack; "I know what my first entry will be! "Dear Diary, I'm glad Granny Smith's legend _wasn't_ true."

Rainbow Dash; "Me too!"

Pinkie Pie: "Me three! Because that means you two are still tied for _Most Daring Pony_!" both Rainbow Dash and Applejack narrowed their eyes competitively at one another. Mako rolled his eyes and face palmed himself.

"Heh, Shadow Ponies... How ridiculous is _that_?" said Spike, earning a laugh from everyone.

However, deep in the dark hallways of the castle, stood a mysterious figure who had been observing the group this entire time. However, this was not a creature of the night as they had feared, but a future ally. One whom Korra would have the pleasure of meeting.

Sooner than she thought.

(~)


	3. Daring Don't

_"Hello, everybody! So glad you could all make it back. I have to say that because (looks around to make sure no one is listening and points to above him) __**She's**__ watching me. _

_Anywho, on to our next tale._

_Everypony knows Rainbow Dash the the fastest and most daring pony around. You'd think there were no other pony as tough and hard-core as she is, right?_

_Well, that is where you are wrong. Confused? Let me elaborate._

_It was a warm sunny day in Equestria. Fluttershy was caring to her woodland friends when she received an unexpected visit from a very excitable pony._

_And I don't mean Pinkie Pie._

_(~)_

**Daring Don't**

It was a bright day indeed. The sun was shinning as brightly as young Fluttershy's butter yellow coat. The sweet-hearted pegasus was on a tree branch, teaching young birdies to fly. Behind her was a drawing demonstration of flying for which she was using as a teaching method to the little ones.

Accompanying her was a young girl, around ten to eleven years old with short brown hair, soft brown eyes and wearing orange and yellow nomadic clothing. This was Jinora, an airbender and good friend of Flutetrshy, who was observing the pony instruct the birds from a second branch.

"Now, little ones, today is the first day of flying practice. Now, watch me." she opened up her wings and flapped them o so elegantly as to allow the hatchlings to keep up. "See? Not so bad. Now you try."

The two birdies looked at one another with uncertainty. They were pretty nervous to try flying for the first time. But, with an encouraging smile from Fluttershy, the little ones opened up their wings and began to flap. In only a matter of seconds they were hovering three feet above their nest.

"Wonderful job!" said the pegasus proudly.

Jinora clapped her hands softly as to not frighten the small ones, "Wow, you really are great with animals Fluttershy."

Then, suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming straight at her, followed by a rainbow colored trail that bellowed behind her as she approached Fluttershy.

"Four more months, four more months, _four more months_!"

Jinora nearly tumbled off of the branch she was on when an excitable Rainbow Dash came zooming in, shoving Fluttershy away from the tree. The young airbender hoists herself up with her airbending abilities.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Oops, sorry Jinora. Didn't see you there."

"At the speed you were going, I can see why. What's got you so excited anyway?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Right Fluttershy?"

The shy pegasus rubbed her leg in uncertainty, "I, uh, I could be excited. I don't really know. I wasn't really think—"

"Come on, you gotta be excited!"

"Oh, well, I guess maybe I'm a little kinda sort of excited."

"I thought so!"

"Yeah… So, um, why am I excited?"

Jinora rolled her eyes while Rainbow Dash explained the reason why she was so excited. "Because the next _Daring Do_ book is coming out exactly four months from today! That's how exciting it is!"

"Daring Do?" Jinora asked, "Isn't that the adventure book you lend to Korra?"

"The very one! Have ya read it yet? Pretty awesome right?"

"I've skimmed a few chapters. With Korra having read the entire thing five times I had a hard time trying to pry it away."

"I don't blame her, Daring Do is the most amazing, most epic, most unbelievably awesomest pony_ ever_! Who knows what amazing, incredible, awesome adventure Daring Do will have in her next book." the pegasus began to fantasize all of the epic adventures her imaginary hero would soon face.

"Will she at long last stalk the Fortress of Talicon? Only to be forced to contend with its dreaded and impenetrable arrow defense? And if so, could her skill, quick wits, and courage possibly carry the day? _Or_ will her next adventure bring her face to face with the vast and horrible Ahuizotl himself?! Would she cower, turn tail and run? Or would she fly at him, full bore, knowing full well against all odds that the greatest challenge she ever faced was still surely no match for—"

"Look out!"

In all of her excitement, Rainbow Dash collided into the tree where Fluttershy stood, landing on the next. She was in a daze while the two little birds from before flew around her head in a comical fashion.

"Oh, I'm not so sure she's gonna last another four months…" said Jinora to Fluttershy, who nodded in agreement.

(~)

Rainbow Dash hopped and flipped her way to Twilight's library house. The first month had already passed, oh too slowly to her liking, but she only had three more months to go.

"Three months and twenty six days, three months and twenty six days, three months and twenty six days!" she arched her friend's house and walked in, "Heya, Twilight! Aren't you excited that—" she was interrupted when Pinkie Pie blew a party horn while hanging from the ceiling.

All of her friends, including Mako, Korra, Bolin, even Asami were gathered at the library having a little party. Everyone was wearing some form of hat. Pinkie Pie wore a fez, Fluttershy a purple top-hat with flowers, Twilight had a party hat and Rarity wore a plastic pink tiara, as did Asami, but her's was violet and had flowers rather than hearts. Korra and Mako wore party hats while Bolin also wore a fez, colored green, and Pabu wore a matching one, and Applejack wore a big red hat with white apples imprinted on it.

"So glad you've finally made it!" said Twilight as she levitated a cup of fruit punch. Her horn was covered by her hat, so it glowed along with her magic. Since the hat was made of paper her magic could easily work with it over her horn.

"What's everybody doing here?" asked the blue pegasus curiously.

"We're having a holiday party!" said Pinkie Pie, right before flowing her party horn again in Rainbow's face, which contained little confetti within it.

"So what holiday would today be?" Rainbow asked.

"National Random Holiday Party Day! Woo-hoo!"

Rarity approached her friend, taking a sip from her cup, "I've never heard of it either. But the punch is quite tasty."

"You might say the secret ingredient is…" Pinkie Pie leaned in closer to Rainbow and whispered loudly, "_a secret_!"

"How come nopony bothered to invite _me_?" Rainbow asked in surprise.

"I came to invite you personally," Korra said as she placed a party hat on Rainbow's head, "but you were too busy reading the last _Daring Do_ book for the _twelfth time_."

"Well, can ya blame me? Besides, haven't you read the one I gave you five times already?"

"How can I not?" Korra replied excitedly, "I'll never forget the way Daring Do swung from one end of the cliff to the other, and all with a broken wing! Man that took guts!"

The firebender, Mako also showed his enthusiasm for the series, "Or at that part where Daring cleverly figured out the riddle to the puzzle inside that ancient pyramid. I thought she'd never make it out!"

"Of how about when she escaped the pool of lava?"

"And when she faced Ahuizotl in that epic showdown to get the Sapphire Statue!"

"And when she tackled that griffon with her front hooves to get the Goblet!"

"And crafting a get away boat with nothing but bamboo and a compass!"

The two teens were so wrapped up in their fan-raging that they didn't notice the many eyes looking at them oddly. Even Asami was rather surprised by this. Korra and Mako cleared their throats, trying to regain their composure.

"Yeah, well…okay."

Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around their shoulders, "Well, in three months and twenty six more days, we'll be able to read the next book."

"I think that calls for a toast." Korra piked up her own cup as Mako and Rainbow piked theirs and made their own personal toast to reading the next in the Daring Do series. However, Twilight had some news for them.

"Oh, haven't you heard? The release of the next book got pushed another two months."

The three friends immediately spit out their punch in shock. "_Two more months_?!"

"But, I've been waiting so long already!" said Rainbow Dash while trembling, "I don't think I can take another two months! I'll never make it!" the poor pegasus nearly passed out, only to have both Mako and Korra catch her in their arms.

"Yeah. I can vouch for that…" said Fluttershy, and Asami nodded in agreement.

"Did they give a reason?" Asami asked, curious as well even though she had yet to read the series but was concerned about her friend's depressed reaction.

"The publisher just said author A.K. Yearling won't be able to finish the book for another two months." said Twilight before levitating a tray, "Cupcakes?"

Pinkie Pie immediately took a bite.

Rainbow Dash growled when she came back to, now landing in the floor facing Twilight, "How could you possibly know that before me? I'm the series' biggest fan!"

"I'm just as big a fan as you! In fact, I'm the one who first introduced you to the books, _remember_?"

"And you guys introduced them to us." said Mako.

"And, we were hooked." said Korra, "A.K Yearling is am amazing adventure writer."

"I know, she just might be my favorite author." said Twilight, "I know everything about her. Where she grew up, where she studied literature, where she wrote the first _Daring Do_ book…"

Then, Rainbow gained an idea, "Where she lives?"

"Uh… no, though I could probably find out somehow. Why?"

"Don't you get it? The new book is _obviously_ delayed because she needs help dealing with whatever everyday nonsense is distracting her from spending her every living breathing second writing!"

Asami stepped froward, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there Rainbow. Don't you think you're being a little overly dramatic."

"Yeah, that's usually Rarity's territory." said Mako…only to receive a kick in the leg, curtesy of the said white unicorn. "Ow!"

Korra squatted down to Rainbow's level, "Besides, waiting for the next book isn't really that bad."

"Easy for you to say!" said Rainbow Dash, "You've only just found out about the books, I wouldn't expect you to be die hard fans just yet." she placed her hooves on both sides of Korra's face. "But I am! I– I mean, fans like me, need to read the new book ASAP!" she released Korra's face and the Avatar rubbed her cheeks while narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "Think about it! We could help her with her laundry, buy her groceries, cooking her meals, whatever! Now, who wouldn't appreciate that?"

Twilight pondered, "Hmm, I don't know... What she probably wants most of all is respect for her privacy."

"I agree with Twilight." said Mako, "I know I wouldn't want somebody to just randomly barge into my house."

"She can always just say no." said Rainbow, wrapping her hoof around his shoulder and looked on at everypony else, who looked at one another in uncertainty before nodding in agreement.

"I still think it's not a wise idea." said the firebender.

"I agree." Korra stated, "Tenzin is always nagging to me about patience, maybe this would be a good thing." All eyes fell on Korra, looking on as if she had lost her mind. "I know, that doesn't sound like me at all." she crossed her arms, "But I still stand by giving her privacy."

While Korra was no stranger to interrogating or barging into action, if somebody had done nothing to offend anybody or did a crime then she saw nothing wrong with leaving them be and do their own thing.

"Korra's right." said Mako.

But Rainbow Dash, much like the Avatar, was very persistent, "Aw, come on! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese?" then, Rainbow resulted in using her mots powerful weapon of all….

The Puppy Eyes!

Korra and Mako immediately shielded their eyes, trying their hardest to fight the overwhelming cuteness.

"Oh no! Not the puppy eyes!" Korra begged, shielding her eyes.

"Anything but the puppy eyes!" Mako exclaimed.

But it was no use, Rainbow's big sad shimmering rose colored eyes were far too much for our young heroes to resist any longer. Their walls were tumbling, their defenses breaking down. It was over.

"Okay! Okay!"

Rainbow flipped in the air in victory, "Yes! Come on, let's go find Yearling!" she zipped right out the door, creating gust of wind, only to pop her head from the door again, "So… how's about getting that address?"

(~)

The Mane Six and Team Avatar traveled all the way across Equestria, following an old yellow colored map to seek out A.K Yearling. They took Naga in order to make the trip a tad easier.

"Are we there yet?" Bolin asked as the places where they had been were marked red on the map. "How about now? Now? Okay, how about now? Are we there now?"

"Yes!" Twilight finally said, her and the rest having already growing tired of Bolin's constant asking. "At last Bolin, we are _finally _here."

Naga made her way through a jungle forest while Pinkie Pie, standing from her tail, painted the trail they had walked on in red paint. Korra looked around the area, amazed to find that the author of her growing favorite book lived in such an isolated area.

"You see what I mean?" Mako said, he sat behind Korra, followed by Bolin and then Asami, "Why would she live in this remote part of Equestria except to keep folks from intruding on her privacy? We should respec—"

"I think I spotted the house!" Rainbow interrupted, "We're super close! This way!"

Korra told Naga to go forward until they reached the house of A.K. Yearling. However, this was not what they had expected to see.

"Oh no. What happened?" Twilight said in shock as she and the others jumped off of Naga.

The house was actually a small cottage with stone walls and wooden windows. The house was made of hey, covering the top in a fuzzy yellow blanket. Pieces of the door and windows had been yanked right off, with books, furniture, house cleaning items, even pieces of wood were scattered outside, looking as if somebody had ransacked the place.

"Apparently somepony has intruded on her privacy pretty hard already…" Rainbow was in equal shock. Who could have done this to her favorite author?

"Looks like we came at the right time." said Korra before taking the first step forward, only to have Mako try and stop her.

"Korra, be careful. We don't know who did this."

"Whoever it is, we can handle it."

The rest of the group followed the Avatar while the firebender groaned and face palmed himself, "This won't end well." he hesitantly followed as well.

Korra slowly tapped her index finger on the already nearly ripped off door, but even that was enough for it to fall down to the floor entirely. She squatted down and peaked inside the door, while the otter's ponies all peaked inside as well.

The inside was worse than the outside. Endless pages of books were scattered or ripped apart, pictured were either broken or crooked and furniture had been smashed or turned over. The Mane Six entered, followed by the humans, who needed to squad a bit when they came through the door. Asami had hit her forehead when she did. Mako extended his hand to help her, which she took before quickly dismissing it. The firebender lowered his shoulders, things between them were still a little tense.

"Hoo-wee, somepony really trashed this place." said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie inspected the ruin, "Hmm… Maybe... _or_ maybe A.K. Yearling's just a terrible, horrible, unbelievable slob!" she said by placing a frying pan on her head, sledding down the stairs with a carpet behind her like a cape and tossing more books into the air.

Rarity approached a cracked mirror, "I hope A.K. Yearling's alright!" she said with sincere concern.

"Oh no! What if something terrible happened to her?" Bolin said in fear and Rainbow Dash appeared from underneath a pile of garbage, looking around franticly.

"I know! There might be no more books!" she received some stern looks from Twilight, Mako, Korra and even Asami, "Uh… But, of course, I'd be worried about _her_, too. Heh."

Mako decided that the wisest thing to do would investigate, "Whatever happened here, maybe the culprits left a clue somewhere."

"How is anyone suppose to find anything in all of this?" Korra asked as she piked up some crumpled paper and unfolded them. Suddenly, she noticed something peculiar. "Hey, look at this."

She showed Mako the piece of crumbled paper and his eyes widened and read the words out loud, "The Rings of Scorchero?"

However, this detective search would have to be placed on hold.

"What are you all doing here?"

Everyone jerked up when they heard a voice coming from the entrance. It was a female pony with tan colored coat and grey hair covered in a grey hat with a white ribbon and bow. She wore a long dark purple cap around her body and large red glasses over her rosy red eyes. Rainbow Dash was now speechless.

"Uh… A... K-K... Yearling…?" she squeed with delight upon seeing her. Even Korra was amazed as she gripped Mako's arm.

"Wow…that's her…it's really her." she remembered the situation they were in and tried to explain. "Uh, we didn't do this! We swear!"

A.K. Yearling entered her now destroyed home, looking up at the two legged creatures, "What are you?" she asked.

Before Korra or Mako could explain, Bolin stepped forward, "Hi, Ms. Yearling. Let me just say what an honor it is to meet you. I haven't read your books just yet but I hear they're amazing. My name's Bolin, that's my brother Mako, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato. We're humans from Republic City. Don't worry, we're friendly, honest."

The mysterious pony simply arched an eyebrow while the other face palmed themselves in embarrassment.

"What have you done to my house?" she asked as she approached a carpet.

"We didn't do this, Ms. Yearling" said Applejack right before Yearling pulled the carpet from under her, "— whoa!"

The tan pony ignored her visitors, even the strange creatures, for which she would deal with latter as she looked around her home, visibly searching for something.

"We're awfully glad to see you're alright." said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash was looking through some papers on the floor, noticing that they looked similar to the crumpled piece of paper Korra and Mako had found. Realizing Yearling was staring at her, she whistled and tried to act casual. Yearling approached another pile of books, still looking for something.

"Okay, clearly this isn't the best time," Rainbow began, "but I've just gotta say how much we all _really _love your books…" suddenly, the tanned pony dawned an irritable look on her face and leaped forward, kicking Mako in the gut, causing him to be thrown backwards and land on the floor as a nearly broken shelf on the wall tilted and a book landed open on his head.

"Mako!" Korra and Asami rushed to his aid. The Avatar scorned at the pony, "What's your problem?!"

"Where is it!" she demanded to know, "What have you done with it?!"

"We don't know what you're talking about! We said we didn't do this!" Korra then caught something at the corner of her eye. Buried underneath a pile of trash was a dark crimson book with golden edges. Something about it caught her attention immediately, almost as if something powerful was inside of it. She instinctively grabbed it and then tossed it to the pony.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

The pony smiled with glee when the book reached her hooves. She began turning the three golden corners of the book, almost like she was loosening a lock. She placed her hoof on the circle with a golden horse shoe and turned it like a door nob. The three gold rings unlocked and the book opened, revealing it was not an actual book but a secret box. Once it opened a golden ring-like object emerged. Yearling sighed in relief as she placed it into her clock.

"It's safe."

Korra and Mako were amazed, the ring looked identical to the picture they had found. What was this famous author really hiding.

Rainbow Dash decided now was a good time for her to ask Yearling what she wanted to ask, "Great! Maybe now would be a good time for me to ask you how we can help move the new book along a little faster. Chop chop!" she shoved the typewriter towards her, making Yearling scowl at her.

"Rainbow Dash, a minute please!" Twilight Sparkle used her magic to levitate the impatient pony outside to speak privately.

The two girls assisted the firebender up but Yearling stood before them, "You didn't come to steal what was mine?"

"No!" Korra stated, "Look, we only came because our friend _really_ wanted the next book of Daring Do. We came to your house, it was wrecked, end of story."

"You're…telling the truth?"

"Yes!"

The pony pondered, these creatures were unlike anything she had ever seen, but she learned from past experiences to no longer be fazed by new species. She could clearly see that they meant no harm especially with the sincerity that was seen in this tan skinned-human's eyes.

"Alright. Now leave."

Korra scoffed, "Gladly." she and the rest of her friends exited the cottage, and Asami hit her head again against the entrance.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Mako dusted himself while Korra was still steamed by the pony's rude behavior, "Maybe coming here was a bad idea." she said and inspected her firebender, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I guess Yearling's been reading too much of her own work. That move looked like something Daring would have done."

"I know. Also, what was up with that ring? Something's definitely up."

"Sure you're not just overreacting?" Asami asked, "Maybe she's just really possessive. A.K. Yearling has made it pretty clear that she wants to be left alone."

"Exactly!" Twilight agreed as she schooled Rainbow Dash, "We need to respect her wishes."

"You should tell that to _those_ guys." Pinkie Pie pointed towards the window roof of the cottage, where they saw a mysterious trio of male ponies enter Yearling's home.

"What the heck?" Korra asked, "Who are they?"

"Maybe more obsessed fans?" Bolin suggested, though very uncertainly.

Korra attempted to walk in again but was stopped by Mako, "Hold on. Last thing we need if her getting angrier."

"Well what do we do about those guys?"

Mako gestured to the others to follow him and they all squatted down, peaking through the window to see if these ponies were a true threat or not.

Yearling was adjusting the broken mirror, when the three ponies appeared in the reflection. The pony turn around to face them. One of the ponies was white with sunglasses and dark hair and tail, the other was tan with brown hair and tail and a red scarf around his neck with a top hat and sported a five-o-clock shadow. The third looked older and bulkier with a grey coat and orange mane and tail with sideburns of the same color, wearing a tan vest.

But before they could attack, Yearling tossed the her clock at the tan pony, her hat at the grey pony's face and her glasses at the white one. Her grey mane now fell down over her neck, adorned with paler and darker grey streaks. The same streaks were on her tail. She had a pair of pegasus wings, one holding the golden ring, a green explore's shirt and an explores's hat. Twilight, Rainbow, Korra and Mako gasped in baffled shock at the sight before their eyes, and exclaimed in unison;

"A.K. Yearling _is_ Daring Do!"

They could not believe it! The fictional hero from the stories they adorned was standing right before them. And she was the actual author as well! Korra didn't know what to think, any anger she felt towards the pony had faded, being replaced with both amazement, confusion and…well, giddiness.

Mako was also unsure about this. He had come to love the Daring Do books almost as much as Korra and Rainbow did, but seeing that character before his eyes, he didn't know what to say or think. He honestly thought the books were fictional as well, finding it interesting that ponies still had their own brand of mythology.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash were giddy with excitement. Their favorite heroine, in the fur before their eyes.

"A.K. Yearling and Daring Do are one and the same!" Twilight said, placing her hooves on her cheeks, smiling with glee, "My mind is officially blown!"

"While I think my mind just exploaded." said Mako, while still surprised, was just as exited about this as well. Even he had a certain liking towards adventure.

Korra was now completely overjoyed with seeing such an amazing hero in front of her. "OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGosh!" she repeated Rainbow's signature phrase.

"Aw, come on, I knew it all along." Rainbow said, earning eye rolls from the three.

The entire group watched as the actual Daring Do, while holding the ring in her mouth, fought the other ponies. The grey one jumped at her, trying to take the ring away with his own mouth, but Daring Do kicked him with her leg, causing him to be tossed back. While the others gave their commentary from outside as if they were watching a show.

Applejack; "Amazing!"

The white pony pulled on Daring Do's tail, only to be kicked back as well.

Rarity; "Incredible!"

Daring Do stood her ground as the two ponies jumped at her, but she easily bucked them off of her before the four engaged in an all out brawl, the ring being tossed out of Daring's gasp and was tossed up, spinning in the ceiling lamp and tossed into the fireplace.

Bolin; "Wow!"

The three approached the fire, hesitant to take it from the flames. Daring, using her mouth, unleashed a lasso to take the ring from the fireplace. The ring, now red from the heat, made contact with a vase of liquid which fell on it, causing the heat to diminish.

Pinkie Pie; "Wow! So much action! Whee!"

Daring flew over to the other side of the room, using a chair to keep the other ponies at bey.

Korra; "A chair? Seriously?

Rainbow Dash; "_Daring Do_!"

In her excitement, Rainbow called out her hero's name, distracting her and allowing the three ponies to jump on her, causing her to loose her grip on the ring. The golden object fell to the floor and another pony entered the house. It was a dark skinned pony, also with a five-o-clock shadow but with sleek, suave looking dark grey hair, wearing a white tan shirt and a golden skull for a cutie mark. He took the ring in his hoof and spoke in a Spanish accent.

"Many thanks, Daring Do. As you've probably surmised, our earlier search for this treasure was... unsuccessful. So kind of you to find it for us."

Daring grunted as she attempted to fight once more, but her leg was wounded so she fell, "Give it back, Caballeron!"

"That's _Doctor_ Caballeron to you."

Rainbow whispered to Mako, "He's from book four: _Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams_."

"I know," he said, "He wanted to partner with Daring Do on her adventures, but she refused."

"I still can't believe it!" Twilight said with glee, equal to Rainbow, "The _real_ Daring Do and the _real_ Caballeron!"

"Wait, if they're real, that means all of the other books were real too." Korra stated, "Even Ahuizotl! This. Is. Too cool!"

Daring wobbled as she struggled to stand up, "So let me guess: Ahuizotl has put you up to this?"

Korra; "Knew it!"

"You're stealing the ring to give to him so his hold on the Fortress of Talicon will be good for eight centuries as foretold by prophecy!"

"Close, but... no." said Caballeron, "I'm going to sell this to him, make a bundle, and retire from archaeology in splendor."

Daring Do tried to take the ring away from her enemy, but was held back by his henchponies. "Caballeron, you fool! You're dooming the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!"

"To market, henchponies!" at his command, the lackeys released a wounded Daring Do, leaving the place with the ring. The pegasus struggled to stand.

But while Caballeron and his ponies galloped away, they were suddenly stopped by four tall creatures, looking down at them in disapproval while the female one with blue eye pounded her fists together.

"Haven't you heard? It's not nice to steal."

(~)

Rainbow Dash rushed towards her fallen hero, who was bandaging her wounded leg. "Are you okay?"

But Daring simply shoved Rainbow's hoof away, "I got this."

"Um, she was just trying to help, Ms. Do." said Fluttershy.

"Daring Do doesn't need help." said the pegasus, placing her hat and walking away from the ponies, "She handles her business herself." she stopped on her tracks when Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami appeared before her. Korra pulled out the golden ring.

"You sure about that."

"The ring! How did you-"

"Four tall humans against four shorter ponies. You do the math." Korra smiled smugly. However, instead of a thank you, Daring simply flew up and took the ring away from them. "What? No thank you?"

"You shouldn't have interfered in the first place." Daring said firmly as she placed the ring on the floor.

"If we hadn't those guys would be half way to Ahuizotl by now!"

"Why was he after the ring anyway?" Asami asked.

"Book 3." Mako said.

Asami arched an eyebrow, "Come again?"

"In book 3 Ahuizotl sought control of the Tenochtitlan Basin." he explained.

Korra explained next, "But in book four, she defeated Ahuizotl and secured control of the Amulet of Atonement, dispelling the dark magic of the Ketztwctl Empress, and thus protecting the basin with the Radiant Shield of Razdon."

Rainbow explained next, "But the Radiant Shield of Razdon is vulnerable to the dark enchantment of the Rings of Scorchero!"

Twilight continued next, "But the Rings were scattered to the four corners of Tenochtitlan, thus rendering the dark enchantment powerless"

Rainbow continued, "Only if you assume that the Rings have yet to be retrieved, and the ring Caballeron tried to steal isn't the last to completely restore the dark tower and its cruel hold on Tenochtitlan!"

"_Nerds_!" Bolin exclaimed, earning annoyed glances from the four fans.

"The point is, if Ahuizotl gets a hold of all of those rings, this valley is doomed to suffer a thousand years of unbearable heat." Mako stated.

"Didn't Daring already say that?" Asami asked, "And she has one of the rings, so that's a good thing, right?"

"But it's not enough." said Daring, "This ring isn't like the others. It's also used a locator to find the rest. Ahuizotl wants it to find the actual last ring in order to fulfill his dark wish. That's why I need it, to find the last ring before he does."

"Maybe we can help." Korra said eagerly, "If we work together we can retrieve all the rings."

"That's a great idea!" said Rainbow Dash, "This is so amazing! Working side by side with Daring Do!" *sqee!*

"No!" Daring exclaimed, "I don't need any of your help. I work alone."

"But-"

Before she could say another word, Daring Do was already off, flying up into the sky to continue her journey, with the locator ring with her. But Rainbow Dash refused to give up.

"We've gotta go help!"

"You heard her!" said Twilight, "She says she works alone!"

"How can we just stand by and do nothing? You know what's at stake here!"

"You gotta admit, Rainbow Dash makes a pretty good point." said Pinkie Pie.

"We gotta help Daring Do retrieve the rings before it's too late!"

Twilight was still uncertain about this. "I don't know."

Mako and Korra both led Twilight a few feet away from the others and the teens squatted down to her level in an attempt to reason with her. "Twily, I know this hasn't turned out like we expected, but there are worse things than helping a pegasus adventure pony in saving a valley from a weird blue dog thing."

"Besides, we've all seen how Daring handled those guys by herself." said Mako, "She's gonna need all the help she can get."

Twilight pondered on this for a moment, "Are you guys saying this because it's the right thing, or because you both _really_ want to go."

Korra placed her hand together, pleadingly. "I really, really, _really_ want to go."

"And it's the right thing." Mako added. Though, he also really wanted to go just as much as Korra did.

Twilight sighed in defeat, "Okay, but we're going to need a carefully thought out plan…"

"I'm coming, Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash was already off in search of her hero.

"_That's not a plan!" _

(~)

Rainbow Dash flew over the vast forest, looking for any signs of the tan colored pegasus pony. "Come on, come on, come on... " She stop in mid-flight when she spotted Daring down bellow and speeded downwards to reach her, "Bingo! Here I come, Daring Do! To join an adventure with the greatest, bravest, coolest, most incredible hero I could ever– " she stopped once more, whimpering in hesitation, "Okay, maybe I just need a sec…"

She flew down and landed where she last saw Daring, trying her best to ease her anxiety, galloping along, "Just another adventure. No big deal." she then smacked herself, "Get a grip! I got this. I'm not just the fastest flyer in Ponyville, but I'm a top notch firbender pony. Yeah, I'll just show her my firebending skills, she'll like that, right?"

She stopped once more and backed up a few spaces, "Though, doing it alongside Daring Do... Wow! Maybe I could get my picture taken with her, or an autograph–" she smacked herself again, "There you go again. She's just a pony like any other pony. A pony who stops entire armies of bad guys with nothing more than her bare hooves, and an attitude, and—!" she smacked herself once last time, her cheek turning red this time around, "Ow… That's starting to hurt."

Rainbow's vision became dark once Daring ambushed her with her hat over her face. The two tumbled across the forest floor and Rainbow removed the hat from her face.

"Yow! Stop!"

"Oh, it's just you." Daring said, disinterested as she placed her hat back on and prepared to leave.

"Wait, don't go!" Rainbow felt her cheek flush from embarrassment at the scornful look Daring gave her before walking away. "Think fast." Rainbow said to herself, "This is your big chance to impress her with your quick wit and courage."

Daring took the book which contained the ring. The book itself emitted a glow from within, as Daring used it to find the location of the final ring. When suddenly, Rainbow Dash peeked up from behind a bush, once again, acting like a fan-girl.

"I am _suuuuuch_ a huge fan." she said, laughing nervously. Daring simply sighed in boredom before walking away. Only to be stopped again by Rainbow.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me show you what I can do. Okay, stand back."

Daring rolled her eyes but decided to humor her this one time. However, her eyes widened when she saw what the pegasus did. She couldn't believe it, this crazy fan-girl pony created a flame from her hoof.

"How did you do that?"

"Something my friends Korra and Mako taught me." she hurled the fire blast, which hit a branch, causing it to break and fall, right above Daring. She quickly jumped out of the way in the last minute when the now partly burned branch laid on the ground. Rainbow blushed in embarrassment.

"He, he, sorry. Guess my aim's a bit off today." As impressive as that was, Daring had more important things to do. She rolled her eyes and walked off, once again being stopped by Rainbow Dash.

"Pleas, let me help you!" she dusted Daring's shirt and hat, "I promise I could be a huge, huge help if you just give me a chance."

Daring Do stared daggers at the pony, "_I. Work. Alone_." with that, she walked off again.

"But why won't you let me team up with you just this once?!"

"My work always involves secrets. And since you never know who you can trust, it's best never to trust _anypony_."

"But just because you can't trust _some_, doesn't mean _nopony_ can be trusted!"

"Look, I don't have time to argue-"

"Neither do I. Let's go!"

Rainbow took the lead and flew off at top speed. Daring sighed in annoyance, "Can't believe I'm even talking to her…"

(~)

Night had finally fallen and the two pegasus ponies followed the intensifying glow of the ring within the book. Rainbow tried her best to keep silence, but every now and again she would bombard her hero with questions, for which she would either ignore of bluntly answer quickly just to get her to shut up. At this point, now Rainbow was sharing with Daring her own story about how she and the Mane Six, plus Team Avatar defeated Amon and saved Republic City.

"So, then Korra unlocked her airbending and-swoosh!-tossed Amon right out the window and into the water! He started waterbending and that's when everyone found out he was a fraud."

Daring had to admit, the tale was pretty fascination. "Wow. That's pretty impressive."

"Maybe you can write about it some time! That would be so cool if-" Rainbow was interrupted when Daring covered her mouth and told her to squat down. The book of hers glowed brighter and she pushed the bushes back further. She found what appeared to be some kind of stone tablet with aztec writing on it as well as a circular formation on it.

"This is it."

She opened up the book that contained the locator key and placed it on the circular area. It glowed and the stone tablet began to slide open, revealing the final ring that Daring and her arch enemy had been searching for. Rainbow's eyes shimmered with glee.

"Wow! We found it!" she slid back at seeing Darings scornful look. "I mean, _you_-you found it, he, he."

"Well done, Daring Do."

The two pegasus ponies gasped once they spotted Caballeron and his henchponies…all covered in bandages. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"It's not funny!"

"Man, Korra and the crew sure did a number on you, didn't they?" she regained her composure and got ready to fight them, alongside Daring Do. "What ya gonna do now, hu?"

"Oh, we are not going to fight."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the tress rustled and a gigantic blue creature emerged, his large mouth wide open, unleashing a roar that shook the very ground they stood upon. The creature possessed an elongated dog-like head, except for his eyes, which were positioned over his nose at the end of his snout. He walked on all fours and had dog-like limbs and ape-like forelimbs, a long monkey-like tail with a hand on its end. His coat was dark blue with a lighter blue stomach, lower jaw and limbs. He wore golden jewelry around his neck, a single earring, three bracelets and one around his tail's wrist. He was Daring Do's arch enemy.

"Ahuizotl!"

The blue dog-creature laughed in victory, "Well done, Caballeron. You've made up for your previous mistake."

"You followed us?!" Daring asked in shock.

"More like, we followed _them_."

Rainbow's eyes widened in shock as fear consumed her heart. Ahuizotl had, wrapped in his tails grasp, the entire Team Avatar while the henchponies had the Mane Six tied up and gagged. Both Rarity and Twilight had metal-like tubes on their horns, keeping them from using their magic. Team Avatar struggled in the monster's grip but he just held them tighter. Naga was tied up and gagged with a muzzle.

"The ring, Daring Do! Give it to me!" Ahuizotl pounded his fist onto the ground in anger, but Daring jumped away, placing the ring around her neck.

"Now, Ahuizotl, you know I love you, but I can't give you the ring 'til I've properly proposed." she joked, making Team Avatar share skeptical looks.

"Those are some strange final words." said Bolin, before the monster holding them waved his tail around.

"Interesting, because my friends here have a proposal of their own." she snapped his fingers and four more creatures appeared from behind them. They were all feline in origin. A tiger, a cougar, a cheetah, a panther, and…a little white cat with a very bad temper.

While Daring backed away from the cats, Rainbow unleashed a fireblast at Ahuizotl.

"Let my friends go right now!"

The dog creature smirked and complied, "If you insist." with all of his might he lunged the four teens at Rainbow Dash. They collided and landed hard on the ground. Korra and Mako ended up unconscious while Bolin and Asami were still awake, along with Rainbow Dash.

Bolin got up and earthbended at Ahuizotl, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. His cat minions eased up on Daring Do, but this pony was ready for anything.

"Bring it!"

The panther lunged forward, only to receive a powerful punch from Daring's front hoof. The Tiger came at her, but she jumped up and landed on his head before performing a flying air kick at the cheetah and the cougar attacked her.

Asami untied the rest of the Mane Six, who spotted Caballeron and his minions escaping. Applejack quickly earthbended a rock prison for them all, keeping them at bey.

Korra and Mako groaned as they tried to stand up, Rainbow rushed to their aid. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine." Korra assured, "Are you?"

"Yeah." she then spotted Daring Do fighting the cats by herself.

The pegasus kicked and punched while Bolin and the rest of the Mane Six fought Ahuizotl. Korra leaped up and kicked the creature straight in the face, causing him to land hard on a rock. Korra rubbed her fists together as Rainbow Dash rushed over to help Daring Do. Ahuizotl was done playing games, it was time to pull out the big guns. While she wasn't looking, Ahuizotl's tail-hand grabbed Rainbow Dash's tail and he held her close. Daring and Korra attempted to save her, but were stopped when he took out a pocket knife, which he had grabbed from Caballeron's pocket.

"One more move, and your friend here looses her head!"

Rainbow struggled in his grip, Daring and Korra hesitated. There was no way the Avatar was going to let her friend get hurt, and Daring…she honestly couldn't allow an innocent pony suffer. But before she could make a choice, the cats jumped up on the two, while the others maintained their position, in fear Ahuizotl might hurt Rainbow Dash. The cats had tied up Daring and Ahuizotl released Rainbow Dash by tossing her to Korra, who caught her in her arms.

"Pleasure doing business with you all."

"Don't worry, Daring Do! I'll come help you!" Rainbow said, right before Ahuizotl whipped the two away with a swing of his powerful tail, which could grow longer at his will, and did the same to the others. They landed hard on the ground.

"Don't bother!" Daring said as the cast carried her away, and Ahuizotl now had the final ring. "I'd say you've already helped plenty."

The poor pony watched in despair as her hero was taken away.

(~)

It didn't take long for the sun to rise up. The crew rode on Naga the whole night, trying to find the location of the temple where Ahuizotl took Daring Do. They had Caballeron and his henchponies lead the way, while Naga growled at them and their necks were all linked by a rope, held by Korra.

"How much longer to the temple?" The Avatar asked. When the male pony did not answer, she yank don the rope.

"Alright! It's just a few miles up ahead. We should be there in about an hour."

"You better be telling the truth Caballeron. You wouldn't want to be my polar-bear dog's midday snack, now would you?"

Naga growled at the pony who began to sweat and gulp in fear, "Um, message received, Señorita Korra."

But while everyone was focused on the task at hand, Rainbow Dash was depressed. She felt so guilty for having allowed Daring to get captured. If she had seen Ahuizotl's tail she wouldn't have gotten captured.

"Rainbow Dash, you okay?" Asami asked with concern.

"No. Daring Do and the ring have been captured by the dreaded Ahuizotl, and it's all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault, Dash." Korra said compassionately, "Ahuizotl got the best of all of us. But we will stop him and save Daring."

"Whatever. Let's just go home."

To everyone's surprise, Rainbow began to walk away in the opposite direction, forcing Korra to stop Naga in her tracks.

"We can't go back now!" said Applejack, "Looks a mite like she needs our help more than ever!"

"Trying to help is how I got in this mess in the first place. If I had seen Ahuizotl's tail or if I hadn't been so desperate to get my hooves on the new book…" she sighed and turned away, "You guys were right. We should've stayed out of this."

Twilight, Mako and Korra looked at one another and then back at Rainbow Dash. They were the ones who said it was best to leave Daring, or A.K. Yearling as they thought previously, alone. But now they knew they couldn't abandon her. Twilight walked up to Rainbow in an attempt to lift up her spirits.

"Look, there is more going on here than meets the eye. In every _Daring Do_ book, there always is! We can't turn our backs on her!"

"She doesn't _want_ my help, Twilight."

"Perhaps. But she might need it anyway."

"No. My hero's way better off without me."

The rest of the team approached her too, while Naga kept a watchful eye on the henchponies.

"This don't sound like you." said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie jumped up and hugged Rainbow's neck, "Where's the Rainbow Dash who would help anypony at the drop of a hat?"

"Or pith helmet, as the case may be." said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash gently shoved Pinkie Pie aside, "She's here where she's got no business being. She should be at home."

Asami approached Rainbow Dash, petting her head sympathetically, "It's fine to look up to Daring Do, but I think you've put her so high up on a pedestal, you can't even see your own worth anymore."

Korra approached them and squatted down to Rainbow's level, "She's in the fortress, and we're here, and we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't go in after her! And neither would you. So, are you with us, or not?"

Rainbow looked up at the clear confident blue eyes of the Avatar as she smiled at her pony friend. Even Mako showed her compassion, along with Bolin and all the others. Caballeron and his henchponies rolled their eyes, until Naga growled at them, forcing them to fearfully smile and nod their heads in agreement.

"You guys really think I can do this?" Rainbow asked.

"I have no doubt." Korra said with a wink.

It was then, Rainbow knew what she needed to do.

(~)

It wasn't anything new for Daring to get captured, she's escaped worse. Once with a broken wing. Her four hooves were chained to a stone wall underneath the temple where Ahuizotl prepared to place the remaining rings for his evil plan. Bellow her was a salt water pool and to make maters even worse, the water was filled with piranhas.

"Surrender now, Ahuizotl, or I'll be forced to take you down!" Daring grunted as she tried to break free of the cans.

Ahuizotl appeared from an opening on the wall and laughed at her expense, "Oh, Daring Do, I will so miss your amusing laughter-jokes. Now, I must leave to commence the ring-placing ceremony to unleash eight hundred years of unrelenting, sweltering heat!"

He pulled on a cord as more water came in through a large pipe hole, causing the waters to rise up. And the piranhas were hungry. Daring pulled with al of her might and finally managed to removed her cuffed hoof from the stone wall, but it was heavy due to the metal shackle around it. She broke her other leg free, only to increase her weight with now tow metal shackles, added with the bits of stone still attached to them. She managed to free her front hooves, and her last one, but the water was already so close. Once she was free, she tried to flap her wings, but the weight of the shackles and stone weighed her down. She could feel the water at the tip of her hooves and a piranha came right at her.

"Gotcha!"

Daring was amazed when Rainbow Dash flew on by and lifted her up. She grunted at the weight Daring carried along with her.

"You can flap too, y'know!"

Daring did as Rainbow requested and flapped her wings. Once they made it safely to the entrance on the wall, Daring broke the stone and her shackles. "I was just about to save myself, _y'know_." she said before shaking the dust off of her body.

"Of course. I just thought you might need this." Rainbow tossed Daring her pith helmet. Daring was kind of surprised that Rainbow would return her most prized possession, but she was still not convinced.

"Have I mentioned yet that I work alone?"

"Have I mentioned yet that you're lucky _I_ don't?"

Daring sighed, "You don't give up do you?"

"Nah," Rainbow said smugly, "It's so not me."

As much as the pegasus pony still believed it was best to work by herself, she figured she should allow this pony to at least tag along. She did save her life after all, and even if she wouldn't say it out loud, maybe it was a good thing she did.

(~)

Ahuizotl laughed as he sat on his throne within the Aztec temple. A group of native ponies rose up their spears and tapped on the floor and a rhythmic tune. The ponies were all male, wearing Aztec-like headsets, necklaces and face paint. In front of Ahuizotl stood a tall obelisk with the rings adorned around it, stacked by largest at the bottom and smallest at the top. But just as the final ring was about to be placed, Applejack called out to him.

"Drop the ring, Ahui... whatever your name is!"

Team Avatar and the Mane Six leaped into action but Ahuizotl called out to his minions, "Place the ring, quickly!"

Pinkie Pie, with a fierce look on her face, airbended herself upwards and knocked two Aztec ponies down. She spun the first ring around her waist like a hul-la-hoop before tossing it to Bolin who caught it in his hand.

"Get it!"

At Ahuizotl's command, the ponies lunged at Bolin, who tossed the ring over to Applejack, who leaped up to retrieve it. But another Aztec pony caused her to trip and drop the ring. He took it in his mouth until Asami rushed on by and snatched it with ease.

"Thank you!"

She was halted by another duo of ponies and tossed the ring up, which Fluttershy caught. As Ahuizotl chased Fluttershy, he felt his tail suddenly ache in pain. His tail had caught fire, curtesy of Mako, who smiled proudly at his victory.

Fluttershy tossed the ring over to Twilight who caught it with her horn. She saw two more ponies coming at her and she teleported away, causing them to collide against one another. While the rest were busy keeping the Aztec ponies and Ahuizotl distracted, Rainbow Dash and Daring rushed to the obelisk.

"Help me get all these rings off!" said Daring.

Rainbow grunted as the two worked together to get the rings out. They managed to lift up three rings in one, but they certainly were heavy. While they did this, the Mane Six and Team Avatar kept on trying to keep the ring away from the ponies. Applejack stomped her hooves, causing a piece of the earth to rise up and toss a pony away, allowing Korra to get the ring. The Avatar stomped her foot on the ground and earthbender various streams of earth underneath the ponies, causing them all to fall to the ground. But despite this, they were still persistent.

Daring and Rainbow continued removing the rings, but there were far too many. "If we can remove the giant ring at the bottom, the whole fortress will collapse!" said Daring.

"W-Was this your plan all along?"

"I had to find a way to get into the fortress."

"You did it on purpose?! But– but I thought—"

"I didn't count on you and your friends putting up much of a fight though, or how heavy this ring would be... Guess having a little help can be handy sometimes."

Rainbow smiled, her hero did appreciate her help after all.

The keep away game continued on, these ponies were stronger than they appeared, counting how bulky their bodies were. When one of the ponies dropped the ring, it flew up, only to be captured by Ahuizotl. But his victory was cut short for the two winged ponies were near the removal of the third ring. The fortress began to shake and crumble at the seems.

"_Stop her_!" he ordered his minions.

Daring and Rainbow were both so close, using all of their strength to lift up the ring. The Aztec ponies tried attacking them with their spears, for which daring tried kicking away. "You can flap too, y'know!" said Daring.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could just as the ring was nearly out, "Everyone! Run! This place is goin' down!"

The team obeyed her order and ran out of the temple just as the ring was fully out of the obelisk, which began to crack and tumble just like the fortress. Daring and Rainbow flew out from an opening on the celling as everything went down. Ahuizotl tried to grab them but it was too late, his fortress went down, and so did he.

Everyone made it out of the fortress unharmed while Daring and Rainbow flew out with the final ring.

"They did it!" Korra exclaimed and jumped up for joy, "Whooho!"

The temple was in shambles, the Aztec ponies were dazed from the impact while Ahuizotl rose up from the shambles, "Daring Do! _I will have my revenge_!"

(~)

Once all was clear, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do released the final ring, allowing it to smash to pieces once it hit the ground. Daring smiled proudly at her work. But then, she realized, she didn't do this all on her own. With a guilty expression, the adventure pony lowered down, facing the others. She removed her hat, placing it over her heart as Rainbow landed beside her friends.

"I want to say…I'm sorry. I was wrong, about all of you. You truly are great adventurers."

Team Avatar and the Mane Six smiled in gratitude at Darin's kind words. "We're sorry for going into our home uninvited." Korra confessed.

"Actually, I'm glad you did. I guess, sometimes, on very rare occasions, it's okay to meddle in someone's life…sometimes."

The team laughed along with Daring and she approached Rainbow Dash, giving her a special thank you. "I especially want to thank you, Rainbow Dash. I couldn't have done this without you."

Rainbow couldn't contain herself and she lunged forward, embracing her hero in a hug. Hesitant at first, but Daring hugged Rainbow in return. But once she found out the pony wasn't letting she, she gently pushed her off.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all. I've got a book to finish!" Daring gave one final salute and flew off into the sunset like the hero she was, as everyone else waved goodbye.

"As thus, concludes another Daring Do adventure." Asami narrated, earning some skeptical glares from everyone. "What?"

"So, what are we going to do about these guys?" Bolin asked, pointing his finger at Caballeron and his henchponies, who were still being terrified by Naga.

Twilight smirked, "I'm sure Princess Celestia can find a fitting punishment for them.

(~)

Once they all returned home, Rainbow Dash decided to write down her own experience with Daring Do in the friendship journal.

"_Just had the coolest adventure with the coolest pony ever. Came _this_ close to blowing it because I got so wrapped up in how awesome she was, I almost forgot about how awesome _I_ was. Good thing I didn't, 'cause it gave me a chance to show her how important it is to put your trust in somepony else. And in humans too._"

She was interrupted by a knock on the door where a messenger pegasus pony handed her a package.

"Package from A.K. Yearling."

"Sweet! The new book a week before anypony else gets it!" she snatched the package and wasted no time in tearing it open. She inhaled from excitement.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

On the cover of the book was not only Daring Do, but also an image of Rainbow Dash…with her firebending. This would certainly be hew new favorite book.

_**Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny….featuring Rainbow Dash; The Pony on Fire. **_

(~)

_"Well, not only did Rainbow Dash learn a valuable lesson, but it seems Daring Do did as well. _

_Hope you enjoyed this fine tale, tune in next week for another installment of…_

"Tales of Equestria!"

_Hope to see you soon."_


	4. Power Ponies

_"I am the mystery_

_The shadow that wanders the night_

_I am the trouble you are not prepared for._

_I am…_

_Chaos Man!_

_Thun, thun, thun!_

_Nah, I'm just kidding. It's me, Discord. I'm just wearing a Super Hero costume (that looks like Robin boy wonder) because of today's story._

_Which involves Super Heroes. _

_Now, some of you might be saying; "But aren't the Mane Six and Team Avatar already super heroes? Why, yes they are._

_But, not all of them felt that way. _

_Sit back and listen as I tell you a tale of an unlikely hero who discovers you don't need super powers…_

_To be Super."_

_(~)_

**Power Ponies**

Twilight Sparkle was sound asleep, so asleep that she started to dream a wonderful dream. She was walking around a stunning meadow, filled with butterflies and singing blue birds. But one very particular creature caught her eye.

He was tall, lean and strong looking with a brightly colored orange coat, sleek and spiky blue hair and a dazzling smile that made her heart melt. He approached her, the sun radiating around him, and he plucked a flower from the ground, placing it on her mane. She blushed and the two ponies nuzzled. She hoped she'd never wake up.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Sadly, she did. She awoke to the sound of her little dragon, who flipped through the pages of his comic book, clearly excited about what he was reading. The lamp beside him was on as well.

"Spike, you really need to go to sleep!"

The little dragon was reading a comic book on his backer bed, "Aw, two more minutes, Twilight! I'm just getting to the really good part! The Mane-iac is about to—"

" "The Mane-iac"?" Twilight asked, curiously.

"The Power Ponies' most evil nemesis!" Spike jumped onto the bed and showed Twilight the picture of the comic book of how the Mane-iac came to be.

"She was the power-mad owner of a hair-care product company. A tragic accident at her shampoo factory in Maretropolis not only gave her mane strange new powers, but also caused her to go _completely insane_!" he said the last part in a dramatic tone, added with comical eyes. "She and her henchponies are planning to break into the Maretropolis Museum and steal the Electro-Orb, so she can use it to power up her doomsday device! Of course, the Mane-iac wouldn't have even known if Hum Drum hadn't slipped up and told her _all_ about it."

"Hum Drum?"

"Nah, the guy in the blue boots and pointless red cape. The Power Ponies' bumbling and totally useless sidekick. The Power Ponies have to stop the Mane-iac or Maretropolis is doo-hoo-hoo-hoomed!" he said, once again, in a dramatic tone while shouting out to the sky. But Twilight really needed to get back to sleep.

"Believe me, Spike. If anypony understands what it's like to get caught up in a really good book, it's me. But if we're going to make any progress fixing up Luna and Celestia's old castle tomorrow, we all have to do our part. We don't want to be too tired to lend a hoof... or claw…or hands in Team Avatar's case."

Spike looked sadly at his comic and sadly complied, "Okay, okay, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." he turned off the light and covered himself in his blanket.

However, Twilight noticed his claw sticking out, trying to grab the comic book. She levitated it away, only to be bombarded by the adorable pleading eyes of her little dragon.

"Two more minutes."

"Yes!" quickly turned on the light and continued on reading his book. He wished he could be a hero like the Power Ponies.

Little did he know, that wish was about to come true….sooner than he thought.

(~)

The next day, Team Avatar and the Mane Six gathered at the old castle, while it was still daylight, and got started on cleaning the place. This time, they would make sure not to be afraid of anything.

"Looking good, everypony!" Twilight said as she stood at the center of the room, "And every_body_. Let's keep this magical makeover moving!"

"You got it!" said Rainbow Dash as she and Fluttershy worked together to adjust the fabric on the walls. Mako and Bolin assisted with the heavy lifting while Applejack adjusted a painting while Pinkie Pie was literally scatting on the floor with wash brushes strapped to her hooves, soaping the floors.

Spike walked up to Twilight, "Good old Spike is here, ready to do his part!" but he quickly found that everyone was fine on their own.

Korra and Asami worked on re-painting. As Korra painted, a few drops of paint from her brush landed on Asami's nose.

"Hey!"

Korra tried her best to hide her giggles, "Sorry, Asami." she really meant it, even if the scene was a bit funny. The paint made it look like she had cat whiskers.

But the heiress was not going to take it so likely, "No, _I'm_ sorry." she flicked her brush, making bits of paint land on Korra's face and cloths, making it look like she had chicken pocks. Korra would be lying if she wasn't tempted to start a splash fight with the raven haired girl, just to show her who was boss. But she tried to keep her composure and simply laughed if off, not wanting to make the heiress angry. Not with all she has been through.

"You got me. Good one."

Asami was rather surprised. In a way, she was kind of trying to get a rise out of Korra. But, seeing her trying to be such a good sport, she didn't know if to feel touched that she was trying to be friends despite the whole "Mako" situation from before, or be jealous that she was being so sweet while Asami was still struggling a bit with left over jealousy. She didn't hate Korra, how could she after she allowed her to stay at the island when her father betrayed her, but she still had trouble adjusting to seeing her with Mako. She wanted to let the past go, but for her, it was going to take a bit of more time. Especially when she still had some leftover feelings towards the firebender.

Pinkie Pie 'skated' by Applejack, who was adjusting a painting of apples. "A little more to the left!" said Pinkie and Applejack did as she said, "No, the other left!" she said as she skated by again and Applejack adjusted it perfectly. Pinkie skated by again, "Awesome! That's perfect right where it is! On to the next painting!" she said quickly.

Spike approached Applejack, "You sure you don't need any help?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Pinkie Pie then skated right over Korra and Asami, cleaning up their paint, and even making their hair shinny in the process, "We have everything under control!" Pinkie said quickly as she scrubbed the walls.

Spike looked up at the rainbow pegasus, "Dash?"

"I'm good!"

The dragon turned to the two boys, who were adjusting an alicorn statue, "Mako, Bolin?"

"We've got it covered, little buddy." said the earthbender, making the dragon feel even more upset.

"Isn't there _anything_ I can help you with, Twilight?"

Pinkie Pie passed by, soaping the floors, once again speaking quickly, "Don't worry about it, Spike! It's all good!"

"I think she's right." said Twilight, "It looks like we've got it, Spike. Looking great, everybody!"

Spike then walked up to Korra and Asami, "Need any help with that?" he asked hopefully, "I can help with the hard to reach…places…" he lowered his ears when he saw Korra use her airbending to speed up painting the upper part of the wall.

"Did you say something Spike?"

The dragon lowered his shoulders and his ears in sadness, "Never mind."

Twilight approached her distressed assistant, "Why don't you find a quiet spot and finish reading your comic?" she levitated the rolled up book from his backpack, "Aren't you right at the part where Hum Drum was about to stop the villain?"

Spike frowned, "Hum Drum _never_ stops the villain. He's just there for comic relief." he felt his foot suddenly get wet, only to realize he had stepped on a water bucket, much to his annoyance. He struggled to remove the bucket from his leg when Twilight turned to her other friend.

"Rarity, let me give you a hoof with that!"

"_I_ could do it!" Spike said, finally having gotten the bucket off.

"That's okay, Spike."

Pinkie Pie scatted across the floor on the soapy floor, shouting with glee; "Pony power! Weehee!"

Spike sighed sadly…right when the bucket landed on his head.

(~)

Spike retreated to the room where her, Twilight and Korra first found the Princesses' journal. He figured this was the best place for him, since nopony else needed his help. He rested on a pillow on the floor and read the story out loud to himself, finding the page where he left off.

"Mane-iac breaks into the museum... Okay, here we go. …" he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Ugh, what a surprise! Hum Drum is in the way again while the Power Ponies do all the work! I guess I know what that feels like…" he sighed sadly. Then, he gasped in surprise at the next page.

Which was completely blank in mid climax.

"Wait. What? How can that be the end?!" he flipped through the pages once more but there was no denying it. The book stopped midway. It made no sense to him. "What's… that?"

He noticed that there was a writing at the lower corner of the white page. "You can... retr-" What? "You can... return..." Urgh!" the words were fall too small for him to read. "I _know_ I saw a magnifying glass laying around the last time I was here…" he stood up and searched for the object.

Meanwhile, the Mane Six and Team Avatar were walking down the hallway, searching for their little dragon. "Spike! Where are ya, Spike?" Applejack called out.

"We're breaking for tea and biscuits!" Rarity said sweetly.

"Bolin brought your favorite dumplings!" Asami called out.

Korra abruptly stopped the moment she heard a strange ringing sound in her ears. She groaned and shook her head, trying to shake the sound off as she continued forward. Something felt off

(~)

Spike finally found the magnifying glass and read the words while his friends continued to call out his name. "Okay, let's see." he read the words out loud. "_You can return to the place you started when the Mane-iac is... defeated._" Huh?"

(~)

The friends were close approaching where Spike was, but Korra heard that sound again. Mako noticed this as did Fluttershy.

"Korra? You okay?" he asked.

"I don't know. I feel kind of…weird." she clapped her hands over her ears, "What's that buzzing sound? You guys hear that?"

"I don't hear anything." said Fluttershy once they reached the library where the room Spike was in was located. The dragon read the last part of the book.

"_Take a closer look to join the adventure in this book"_? What does that even mean?" to answer his question, the comic book suddenly started to glow a bright white. "Whoa! Cool!"

Once the group arrived, they saw what was happening. twilight reacted quickly, "Spike! What are you—"

Spike suddenly felt a powerful force start to drag him closer and closer to the book…and into it!

"_Heeeeeelp!"_

"Spike!"

Twilight quickly rushed to pull Spike away from the book, but she felt it pulling her in as well. Rainbow rushed over and tried to pull Twilight back. Fluttershy did the same, followed by Rarity, then Applejack, Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami. But no matter how hard they tried, the powerful mysterious force was far too powerful for them to fight. Humans and ponies screamed once they were all forcibly sucked into the comic book. Pinkie Pie hoped along and cannon balled into it.

"Weehee!"

(~)

Spike groaned as he woke up. He studied his surroundings, amazed to find it was nighttime all of a sudden. Not only that, but there were tall city buildings towering overhead.

"Hu? How did I get to Republic City." but as he looked much closer, he realized this was not the land of humans, "Wait a minute." he noticed he was standing on a city rooftop and looked down bellow. The land was indeed a modern city, but populated by ponies.

"Is this... Maretropolis?" It couldn't be. It looked exactly like in his comic book. How was this possible?

"Somepony wanna tell me what the hay is goin' on?" Applejack's voice was heard and Spike spun round, gasping in awe.

"Holy new personas!"

Each of the Mane Six stood before Spike, but they looked…different.

Twilight Sparkle was now wearing a dark magenta full body suit with a light blue platting with a high collar, pale violet books with symbols of the star from her cutie mark on them with straps, goggles over her eyes with yellow outlines and a silvery metal-tube-like thing over her horn, styled identical to her horn. Her hair was swept up.

"You're the... Masked Matter-Horn!"

Pinkie Pie wore a full body suit of white and purple, looking like arrows and balloon outlined on her hooves. Her hair was styled back with a bit of it sticking our of the suite that was open around her face and ears. Her tail was still puffy but also has a somewhat lightning look to it as well.

"Fili-Second!"

Rainbow Dash wore a black suit, with white boots, styled with lightning bolts on the top, and had a headset that matched the suit with white outlines and a lightning symbol on the side of her face. Her mane was styled similar to a mow-hawk and carried a lightning bolt necklace around her neck.

"Zapp!"

Rarity admired her new suit, which was dark blue with a hight light blue collar and matching diamond prints around her outfit, a yellow broach with a violet diamond and similar diamond around her front ankles. She had an elegant blue mask and her mane was styled into a curled bun with the same diamonds from her bracelet and chest adorned her hair and tail.

"R-Radiance!"

Applejack wore a black, red and green body suit with a black ski mask, her hair and tail styled into long green ribbons and a saddle with a robe was on her back.

"Mistress Mare-velous!

Fluttershy walked out from behind Applejack, wearing an aqua green suit with a purple bandana around her neck, adorned with a flower and butterfly bracelets. Her hair was swept back, giving it a wind-blow look and wore a purple mask.

"Saddle Rager! You're the... _Power Ponies_!" he then turned his attention to the humans behind them, "And…I don't know who you guys are."

Amazingly, even Team Avatar got a super hero makeover.

Korra wore am outfit consisting of light blue and whites. It was a high collar full body suit, light blue in color and white outlines decorated into a snowflake pattern, added with a long transparent lace-like cape around her shoulders with a slim fur-trimming and diamond shaped belt. Her boots were in the shade of ice with a snowflake on the toes and had long fingerless blue gloves. Her hair was swept up and styled into a lose braid over her shoulder and a clear transparent mask over her eyes.

**(this outfit is based on a mix of Elsa's look and a Korra/X-men outfit I saw on DeviantArt by tokyogirl0093)**

Asami wore a tight fitting dark purple jumpsuit with long black gloves, matching boots and a belt with a gear belt buckle added with the same image on her chest with the collar of the suit painted black. Her hair was styled into hight ponytail.

Mako wore a black suit with a golden chest piece with what appeared to be some kind of wing symbol with a green stone. He wore golden armbands, matching belt and boots with black and yellow stripes.

Bolin wore a simple suite as well, primarily of black and green colors with a simple grey belt and matching boots.

"What the heck am I wearing?" Korra asked, studying her outfit which, as nice as it was, was very different than what she normally wore.

"Spike, care to explain what the heck is going on?" Mako demanded to know.

Before the little dragon could answer an explosion was heard from down bellow. Everyone peeked down to see what the commotion was all about. It appeared a museum was being robbed. The primary entrance was completely destroyed with smoke coming out from within. Then, to everyone's surprise, green colored tentacle-like things emerged, followed by a maniacal laugh.

"Power Ponies! How kind of you to join us!"

From the smoke emerged a tall looking mare with a face in similar shape of the alicorns, but her demeanor was anything but kind and wise. If anything, her green emerald eyes looked, dare they day it…insane!

The mare was purple in color with a magenta jumpsuit, with black and yellow colored boots, holding what appeared to be some kind of electric energy ball in her hooves. Her mane was long. Very, very, very, very long. And green completely and was alive! Her hair lifted her up as the rest began to wiggle and move like tentacles.

"Who's that?" Asami asked.

"It's the Mani-ac!" Spike exclaimed in shock.

"The who-niac?" Bolin asked, still confused.

"She's the super villain from my comic book!"

"How is that possible?" Twilight asked.

"Did she call us... _Power Ponies_?" Applejack asked, confused

Even Spike was shocked, and for good reason, "My comic book...It somehow zapped us all in here!"

"I've heard of 'getting into a book' but this is ridiculous." said Korra

"So somebody zap us back out!" said Rainbow Dash.

But Spike remembered the words he read at the end of the page back at the castle. "My comic book! It said the way to get back to where we started was to defeat the Mane-iac! Your _arch-nemesis_!"

Bolin, Mako and Asami blinked in uncertainty. "I'm still lost." said the heiress.

"Me too." said Bolin, "More than usual."

From down bellow, the pony with the crazy life mane, revealed as the Mane-iac, exclaimed at the heroes in a dramatic villainous voice, "Time for the _mane_ event!" her mane extended forward, enwrapping around a nearby pretzel truck and lunged it towards the building the heroes stood on. Korra reacted quickly and extended her hand, subconsciously expecting something to come shooting out of her hands, being air or fire. But what did come out shocked everyone. Even Korra.

The truck that came at them had frozen in mid air, right before exploding. Korra looked down at her hands in shock. "Did…did I do that?"

The Mane-iac sneered at the new creature's powers. She did not know exactly who or what this girl was, and she didn't care. Her mane extended once more, its tentacles taking on a metal mailbox and hurled it at the building as well, this time being aimed at Pinkie Pie. Korra, who had just come back from her shock state, tried to do the same thing again but it was too late. The mailbox had hit Pinkie Pie, but the pony was gone.

"Pinkie! Where'd she go?!"

"Wheeeeeeee!"

Everyone heard their friend's happy cheers as she, literally, ran at supper speed all around the buildings, leaving behind a neon pink streak as she did, her body a total blur to the naked eye. Bolin's jaw dropped as he pointed at the speedy creature. "Okay, even Pinkie couldn't do _that _before."

Mako turned to the dragon, "Spike, if the comic zapped us all in here how did we get turned into, well _this_?"

The little dragon explained, "In my book, the Power Ponies are the super heroes who defeat the Mane-iac."

"A.K.A. Miss crazy hooves down there?" Korra said.

"Exactly! The magic turned you girls into the Power Ponies! Pinkie Pie is now Fili-Second, the fastest pony in all of Maretropolis!"

Applejack took out the rope that was on her saddle and used it tie up the Mane-iac, not realizing the rope glowed a bright yellow. The Mane-iac rushed out of the way and the lasso ended up wrapped around a lamp post. Applejack tugged to get it back but ended up being pulled by her mouth from the building and got tangled in her own rope, hanging upside down against the lamp post. The Mane-iac laughed at the country pony's expense.

Spike turned to the alicorn and the Avatar, "Twilight! Korra! Freeze her mane!"

"Do _what_?" Twilight asked.

"You're the Masked Matter-Horn! You can shoot all kinds of crazy power beams from your horn! And Korra, you have ice powers now!"

Korra's eyes widened in realization, "Oh yeah! Come on, Twilight!"

Twilight gave it a try, activating her now blue horn to use her new super powers while Korra tried to activate her new ice powers….which did not respond. For either of them.

"What? But-" Korra was confused, why didn't her powers work now?

Twilight lowered her ears in embarrassment when her ice beam didn't work.

Mane-iac's mane wrapped around the mysterious electric orb she had stolen, "You know, I'm beginning to enjoy this." she cackled.

Bolin then tried to earthbend the road from down bellow, but quickly realized he couldn't. "Hey! I can't bend!"

Mako attempted to firebend at the Mane-iac, but he too had lost his bending. "I can't either!" he exclaimed, already feeling helpless without his powers. The Mane-iac hurled another cart at them, this time Mako was pushed aside by Korra right before it hit him.

Rainbow Dash tried to firebend as well but she couldn't either, "I can't firebend!"

"You don't have to!" said Spike, "You're Zapp, and your superpower is controlling the mighty forces of nature! Unholster the lightning bolt!"

The cyan pegasus looked at the lightning bolt necklace around her neck and flew higher, using the necklace she called upon the storm clouds and before long lightning consumed the night sky. With her new powers, Rainbow accidentally created a tornado from the winds. However, because she still didn't know how to control her powers, the winds spun out of control which began to pull the others towards it as they tried to hold on to the building.

"Lightning, not a tornado!" Spike shouted as he held on for his dear life.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was still running around the place, now wearing bunny ears (for some reason), a scarf, funny glasses, a flag and a plate of cupcakes. She tried to stop herself when she saw the tornado but it was too late. Just like the power of the comic book, the team was sucked inside, screaming as they did and Pinkie Pie was sucked in as well.

"Whoa!"

One of Pinkie's cupcakes landed on Rainbow's face and she too was sucked inside the tornado she had created. As the friends screamed within the powerful winds, the Mane-iac used her hair as a hammock to watch the mayhem.

"Ha, ha, ha! I love this!"

The friend spun out of control within the tornado. "Rainbow, make this stop!" Asami shouted.

"I would if I could!"

Spike turned to the yellow pegasus, "Fluttershy! You're Saddle Rager! Lose your temper, and you'll turn into a huge, super-strong monster!"

"Oh, gosh! That wouldn't... be very... polite!"

Spike face palmed himself, "Ugh! Rarity! Use your jewelry to create attack constructs!"

Rarity looked curiously at her bracelets, "What's an attack construct?!"

"Just think of something, _anything_, and your bracelet makes it appear!"

The unicorn concentrated and, with her magical bracelets, she created a tea set, complete with a tea cup and teapot, all colored in a neon pink glow. The utensils shattered when they made contact with Spike.

"Something _useful_! Mako, Bolin, Asami, see if you can figure out your powers!"

Mako was the first to try and see what powers he had. He didn't know what to do exactly but he concentrated, trying his best to tap into any new ability inside of him. The only thing he did manage was to somehow create a pair of dragonfly-like wings that grew from his back. He found this to be useless in their scenario.

"Wings? That's it?!"

The tornado only spun around faster, hurling Spike against the wall of the destroyed museum. Once free he noticed the object the Mane-iac now possessed.

"The Electro-Orb!"

"Well, this has been quite the _mane-raising_ experience." said the villain in a mocking tone, her eyes rolling like the insane pony she was, "But I really must be going."

While she wasn't looking, Spike reached out and took the orb, but before he could sneak away, he tripped and the Mane-iac took it once more in her tentacle mane.

"Why, thank you, Hum Drum!" she said as she left the scene, followed by evil laughter.

Spike looked at himself, taking noticed of the blue boots, gloves, belt, mask and red cape, which was what he had tripped on a few seconds ago. He couldn't believe it, of all the characters he could have been turned into, why did it have to be this one?

"I'm Hum Drum…?!"

While the tornado continued to spin, Korra tried to active her new powers, but they still didn't work. "Gah! I can't figure this out!" In her outburst, she unleashed an ice ray, which went flying out of the tornado and hit the ground. Spike jumped out of the way in time but the winds got hold of him as well. As he spun inside, he called to the orange country pony who was still tied up, struggling to break free.

"Applejack! You gotta... help stop the... tornado from destroying.. the city!"

"But every time I move, this darn lasso gets tighter!"

"You're psychically connected to it! Will it to where you want it to go, and it'll obey you!"

Applejack did as he said and focused on the rope. Just as expected, it listened to her thoughts and she was free. It was all up to her now. Using her new powers, Applejack tied up the tip of the tornado. The winds inside backed up before it eventually 'blew up' into this air, freeing everyone else.

The ponies and humans had managed to escape unharmed and Rarity managed to create an elegant force field around herself so she would land safely.

Pinkie Pie jumped and giggled, "That was spin-tastic!"

Bolin stood up straight, feeling woozy from the experience, "Good for you." he covered his mouth, feeling his food about to escape his mouth. He ran to a nearby garbage can and puked the food he had consumed before. Asami groaned and Korra extended her hand to help her stand up. The heiress dusted her jumpsuit.

"You okay?" Korra asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." was all she said. But Korra could hear a hint of hostility in her voice.

Applejack approached the dragon to get some answers, "Lemme get this straight: We've been sucked into some kind of _comic-book world_?"

"Technically, it's called Maretropolis." Spike corrected, "And if we wanna get back to Ponyville, I think we have to stop the Mane-iac from using her doomsday device to destroy it!"

"That still doesn't explain how me and the others got powers." Korra said, looking at her outfit, "Which I'm still having trouble controlling."

Spike tapped his chin in thought, "Maybe it's just like the way we kind of change proportions whenever we travel into each other's worlds. Since this is a super hero world, you guys must have gained powers to match the universe."

"Makes as much sense as anything else." Mako said, looking at the wings on his back, "So, what am I? Some kind of human sized mosquito, or something?"

"Well, you do know how to such the fun out of everything." said Bolin, earning a scorn from his big brother.

Twilight tried to gather the information they had on their new powers, "So, Korra has some kind of ice powers which, apparently, react to her emotions."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"When Pinkie Pie was about to get hit by that mail box, you reacted to protect her."

Mako connected the dots as well, "That's right! And in the tornado, when Korra lost her patience, her powers activated too."

"So, whenever I'm feeling something my powers will respond to it?" she asked, looking at her hands.

Bolin jumped up, raising his hand, "Oh, oh, oh! What power do I have? Maybe I can shoot lasers from my eyes, or super strength, or super breath! Oh man, I wish Pabu were here to see this! That lovable little fire ferret."

Then, almost immediately, Bolin's body began to shift and change, turning into a green-colored version of his pet fire ferret. Everyone gasped in shock.

"What?"

"Bolin?" Asami looked at him, "You're…you're a green ferret!"

"What?!" he looked at his body and screamed in shook, "AHHHHHH! What happened?! Change me back, change me back!"

Immediately, his body did change back into his human self and he sighed in relief. That was when Mako made the connection. "Wait a second. Think of another animal. Any animal."

Bolin simply shrugged his shoulders and thought of another animal. This time, a monkey, for which he immediately turned into. His body was green in color, just like his eyes. Bolin thought of his human self and he once again turned human.

"Wow! I can turn into animals! Awesome!"

"What about Asami's powers?" Rainbow asked, until she noticed the heiress was no longer standing there, "Wait, where did Asami go?"

"I'm right here."

They heard her voice, but did not see Asami anywhere.

"Where?"

"I'm right in front of yo-AH!"

"What?!" Korra and Mako asked in shock at her scream, before Asami spontaneously reappeared before their eyes. The heiress looked at her hands in complete shock.

"I turned invisible! I actually turned invisible!"

Twilight shook her head in disbelief, "Okay, so far, we've got an Invisible Woman, a Snow Queen, an Animal Guy, and…the Mosquito Man."

Mako narrowed his eyes at this. "That's not funny!"

Korra slightly giggled, "Well, the wings are kind of adorable."

"Come on, there's got to be something else I can do." he attempted to firebend again but found that he still couldn't. He growled in frustration at his lack of powers, "Come on, how is it that I can't-" suddenly, in a flash of light, Mako felt his body suddenly change. But it was not one he was happy with. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

The firebender was now flapping his wings like a dragon fly, only his body…was now the side of a chipmunk. Even his voice became higher due to his miniature size.

Bolin, Pinkie and Rainbow bursted out laughing at Mako's new smaller size, and high squeaky voice.

"It's not funny!" he protected, but his new voice made it hard for anyone to feel intimidated. Even Korra and Asami giggled at this.

Korra cleared her throat to try and ease his bitterness, "Well, it's not _so_ bad." she said, "It's actually, pretty cute."

Mako narrowed his eyes and, as if by only wishing it, he returned to normal. As did his voice. "Great, I really am the Mosquito Man….super." he said bitterly.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Korra began, "If we're going to get out of here, we need to stop that crazy octopus hair pony."

"The Mane-iac." Spike corrected.

"Whatever."

"No biggie." said Rainbow Dash, "I was already awesome. And now we've all got superpowers!"

Spike lowed downcast, "Almost all of us have superpowers…"

"Yeah, there's still Mako." Bolin said, right before earning a slap from Mako. "Ow!"

"But you must have them too, Spikey-boo." Rarity said, creating a cane-like object with her magic bracelets to lift up his red cape, "Your character is wearing a cape!"

"Yeah, for absolutely no reason. He's pretty much useless…"

Feeling empathy for the little one, Twilight and Korra placed a hand and hoof on his shoulders. "Good thing you're not really Hum Drum, then." said Twilight.

"Exactly." Korra agreed, "You're Spike. The bravest little dragon, ever." she lovingly took him into her arms like she always did and hugged him tightly, showing him all the love and effecting he deserved. He was feeling better already.

Rainbow Dash landed alongside the others, "So the six of us Power Ponies and four super humans will take care of Mane-iac, and get us back to Ponyville!"

"Spike, where is the Mane-iac building her doomsday device?" Twilight asked.

"Her top-secret headquarters! But you'd better get there quick. That glowing orb she just stole is what she's going to use to power it up!"

"Lead the way, Spike!" said Bolin

"Then leave the rest to us!" said Rainbow Dash, earning a somewhat stern glare from Asami. Even in a superhero world, Rainbow had a big ego.

(~)

"So, the Mane-iac's top secret headquarters is….a shampoo factory?" Korra arched an eyebrow when she saw the building up close. She then shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, makes sense."

It was time for action, and as the leader she was, Twilight spoke up, "Alright, Power Ponies, here's the plan. Rarity, you, me and—" before she could continue, a certain rainbow pegasus was already making her first move.

"Come on out, Mane-iac! Or the Power Ponies are comin' in!" with her necklace, she created lightning storms which caused the neon sign on the building to lose its power from a ray of lightning. Twilight sighed in annoyance.

"So much for "element of surprise"." she said before walking froward.

"I'm surprised." said Korra, "Surprised I didn't think of it first."

As the others walked on ahead, Spike remained in his place, "Guess I'll just hang back here doing nothing." he said sadly.

At the sight of the building, Fluttershy was already trembling. "Oh, I don't think she's home. Maybe we should just come back later." the pony flinched, her eyes widening, when she heard the maniacal laughter being heard from inside.

"She's home." Rarity said, somewhat fearfully.

The large door of the building slid open, to reveal a group of male ponies, all wearing stylish clothing and strange styled manes with obviously too much hair product, similar to Tahno from the wold bats.

"Time to Power Pony up!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Ooh! Nice catchphrase!" Pinkie said while rapidly galloping in place. The ponies aimed to attack and Twilight tried to use her powers again.

"Freeze ray!"

Her horn glowed, but all that came out was a snowball that stroked the pony in the face. He shook it off before galloping at her again, but this time he was knocked down by an even bigger snow ball, curtesy of Korra.

"It's an improvement, Twily." the Avatar said to her friend.

Another pony aimed at Applejack, who used her horse shoe boomerangs to clap the pony's hooves together, causing him to slip and fall.

Bolin transformed into a lion, roaring at a trio of henchponies, who screamed like little girls before galloping away. Bolin shifted back and jumped up in victory.

"Oh yeah! I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me ROAR!"

Mako shrunk himself and flew around the ponies, sticking his tongue out at them in order for them to chase him. They did just that but Mako had a plan. The ponies suddenly felt something punch them, but they did not see anypony anywhere. They felt even more punches and kicks coming from nobody in particular and were even tossed in mid air by an invisible force. Asami manifested herself, cleaning her hands, smiling proudly at her work, giving tiny Mako a little high five, or high one finger in her case.

Pinkie Pie ate another cupcake when another henchpony came at her. She speeded away and reappeared behind him and tapped his back. He turned but she speeded away. She continued this game until she hit him in the face with a pie.

Rarity used her bracelets to wrap the remaining pony on the floor. But another henchpony on the top of the building kicked on the damaged neon sign, and Rarity instinctively created a giant umbrella to propel the sign, which slung back and hit the building, causing the henchpony to hide.

"Ooh, I do _so_ love a functional accessory!" she smiled at her bracelets.

Fluttershy whimpered when a pony came running at her, only to be stopped by lightning. "My hair!" he cried out and ran off, his hair burned into a crisp.

Rainbow Dash lowered down near Fluttershy, "Seriously? You aren't even just a _little_ angry right now?"

Fluttershy simply shook her head in 'no'.

"Nice work, Power Ponies!" Twilight said strongly, all of them having apprehended the henchponies successfully, "Now let's take care of the Mane-iac and get ourselves home!"

"I don't think so!"

The Mane-iac reappeared, her long green hair extending her upwards. "I have a city to destroy, and I'm not about to let the Power Ponies and some two legged creatures stop me! Not this time!"

"This time?" Bolin asked, "We weren't here last time."

"Just watch us, Captain Crazy!" Korra exclaimed, ready to attack with her powers while Rainbow Dash aimed directly at her.

But the Mane-iac had her own plans as well. In her tentacles, she held up a large can of hair spray. Spike knew what this weapon was, and it was far more dangerous than it appeared.

"The Hairspray Ray of Doom! It stops you in your tracks and renders your powers useless!"

As Rainbow readied for an attack, the Mane-iac sprayed her and the pegasus pony froze in mid air, landing on the ground. Korra rushed to her aid.

"Rainbow!"

Seeing their friend in distress, the others narrowed their eyes at the enemy. "We'll just see about that!" Rarity said boldly.

The Power Ponies and Team Avatar aimed to attack, using their powers to fight the villain. However, she was smarter than she seemed and, in one final swoop, she sprayed them all with her can, rendering them both powerless and useless as they all stood frozen in place.

"Maybe we should have thought this one through." Bolin said.

"Ya think?" Asami said sarcastically.

The Mane-iac laughed in triumph as her henchponies celebrated alongside with her. Fluttershy was hiding behind a mailbox while Spike peaked out from inside the metal container.

"Fluttershy, please! Just a little anger?" Spike said.

"Well, I'm not so much angry as I am concerned, bordering on terrified!"

Fluttershy suddenly saw a patch of smoke consume her and she could no longer move her body. The Mane-iac had sprayed her with her enormous can. She took the Saddle Ranger away and prepared to spray the little dragon sidekick.

"Don't spray!" he begged.

Mane-iac cackled, "Oh, Hum Drum, why in all of Maretropolis would I use the Hairspray Ray of Doom on _you_? Rather pointless, don't you think?"

The Power Ponies and Team Avatar cried out to their friend for help, all now completely useless without their powers and frozen in place, being dragged away by the henchponies into the factory and the door slammed.

Spike got out of the mailbox but, as fate would have it, he got his foot stuck in a bucket…again. It was no use now, he had failed his friends.

(~)

The heroes were still frozen, only now they were both frozen _and_ stuck inside a metal cage. Korra grunted as she tried to move her limbs but the hairspray certainly was powerful. Even so, she refused to give up. Her eyes narrowed at the Mane-iac.

"You won't get away with this!" she exclaimed.

The Mane-iac used her hair to lift herself up to the cage, her crazy eyes scanning both the Avatar and the Future Industries heiress. Primarily their hair. Her long mane-tentacles reached out as the Mane-iac inspected both their raven black and dark chocolate brown locks.

"Mmm, such lovely hair. I remember how my mane use to be this elegant and silky." Korra and Asami felt their skin crawl at the feel of having the hairy tentacles around them. "It would be such a shame if it were to be…cut off!"

"Not my hair!" Asami exclaimed automatically, earning some pretty surprised looks from the group. The heiress blushed in embarrassment. While Asami was never vain or obsessed with beauty, she did like pampering her hair. After all, brushing her hair was her late mother's favorite past time, so she swore she would never cut it short for that reason alone.

The Mane-iac laughed at this, "Don't worry, Power Ponies, and friends, soon all of Maretropolis will bow down before me!" she laughed maniacally as she left the heroes within the cage.

"That laugh is getting seriously annoying." said Rainbow Dash.

"Are you okay, Asami?" Fluttershy asked. Asami was still blushing from the embarrassment of her reaction.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, darling." said Rarity, "I know exactly how you feel. I would die if anyone had cut off my mane!"

"It's not that." Asami confessed, her eyes looking down in sadness, "It's just…when I was little, my mom and I would sit together and do each other's hair. It was one of our favorite past times together." the others were quite amazed by this new information.

"Really?" Bolin asked first, finding himself intrigued by this.

"I guess that's why you always see my hair so manageable. When I brush it…it reminds me of my mom."

"I had no idea." Mako said, equally amazed, and feeling empathy for her. "Why didn't you ever tell us about it?"

"I don't know. I guess I never found a reason to before. So, I guess now's a good as time as ever, seeing as we're probably not going to get out of here."

Korra scoffed, "Seriously? That doesn't sound like you, Sato."

"Excuse me?" Asami felt somewhat insulted at the bold remark.

"You're forgetting, Spike is gonna get us out of here." she said confidently.

"You sure about that?" Mako asked, "Not that I don't care about the little guy but, he hasn't really been the strongest one of the bunch."

"Have a little faith in him, Mako." Korra said with a smile, "I do."

As usual, the spunky Avatar never stopped to amaze him. The amount of trust she had on that little dragon was truly remarkable. Maybe he should have more faith as well. Korra then turned to the heiress.

"And Asami…thanks for sharing with us."

For the first time all day, Asami smiled at the Avatar. Despite her still leftover jealousy, Korra was still trying to be a good friend. Maybe she was a much bigger person than Asami was.

(~)

As for Spike, he managed to find a way into the factory through an air duct, but even now he was still second guessing himself.

"What am _I_ supposed to do? I'm useless. No wonder my friends never need me to do anything important._They're_ the ones with superpowers. They've probably already figured out how to escape."

He then felt the weight of the duct give way and he landed on the catwalk of the factory. He leaned against the railing and spotted his friends in the cage.

"Or not!"

Inside, Twilight felt the feeling slowly return to her leg, allowing it to move only a little bit. A henchpony, who was reading a newspaper, heard the timer go off and sprayed the heroes once more, causing them to remain frozen.

"This is gonna get really old really fast." said Bolin.

Spike crawled on the catwalk, preventing himself from getting noticed, and looked down witnessing the large buckets of glowing green and purple liquids which moved inside these tubes that connected to the buckets. The Mane-iac's already annoying laughter was heard as she used her mane to move herself. A variety of her henchponies stood before something that was covered by a long red blanket.

"Congratulations, Power Ponies! You shall live just long enough to see me fire... the instrument of your destruction!"

As she cackled, a henchpony removed the blanket to reveal a large hair dryer-like cannon with a seat for the Mane-iac to control from, and was aimed at an open window of the factory. This was her doomsday devise. Using her mane, the villain placed the electric orb into the generator of the machine.

"Once the Electro-Orb has powered it up completely, this cannon will amplify the power of my mane one _million_ times, expelling an energy blast that will cause everypony in Maretropolis's mane to grow wild! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You will be my weapon's first victims, and there is nopony who can save you from this fate! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The Mane-iac moved her cannon, aiming it directly at the heroes. Fluttershy cleared her throat, getting the Mane-iac's attention. "Ahem. I don't mean to interrupt, but aren't you forgetting about somepony?"

"Hum Drum? Little guy? No superpowers whatsoever? Ha, ha, ha, ha! _He's utterly useless_!"

"No he's not!" Korra said confidently, catching both the Mane-iac's and Spike's attention. "Spike— uh, Hum Drum maybe be short and clumsy-

"Don't forget snarky!" said Bolin with a grin.

Korra rolled her eyes, "But, no matter what happens, he always comes through when we need him. _Always_!"

But the Mane-iac simply mocked this as she walked on the top of her cannon. "_Puh-lease_. Everypony knows you just keep him around because you feel sowwy for him. Wah. Wah."

"Maybe in _your_ world." said Twilight, "But in _our_ world, he's our hero!"

The others all cheered in agreement and Spike felt tears swell up in his eyes. They believed in him so strongly even when he messed up. It was then he decided not to think so low of himself.

"I'm _not_ like Hum Drum!" he said with new confidence, "When my friends really need me, I _do_ come through! And they need me now!" Spike looked down at the doomsday device, eying the energy orb, and he grinned. A plan forming in his head.

"I see dementia must be a side-effect of prolonged exposure to the Hairspray Ray of Doom." The Mane-iac said laughing and turned to her henchponies, "Tonight, we stand upon the brink of immortality, for we collectively – though, mostly me – have finally defeated our most hated nemeses!"

As she continued her rant, Mako noticed a certain little green and purple figure quietly approach the doomsday machine. The firebender smiled and signaled to Korra, "Psst." nodding his head, Korra's eyes caught sigh of the little dragon was, apparently, taking his plan into action. The two smiled proudly at their little Hum Drum.

Spike took the edge of the red curtain that was over the cannon, finding that it had curtain hole punctures, and placed them on a hook, connected to a chain hanging from the catwalk and continued this on with the rest of the curtain while the Mane-aic continued her dramatic villain speech.

"We have hurled the brush of badness into the now fearful face of, ha, ha, ha, goodness, and have struck a blow for freedom in the name of oppression! And _nothing will stop us_!"

With all of his might, Spike pushed the large wooden box, which was where all of the long chains were connected to, and pushed it over the catwalk, activating the trap he had set for the henchponies. The chains pulled on the red curtain, entrapping the ponies who now all hung in mid air within the red fabric.

The henchpony who was guarding the heroes witnessed Spike swinging at him on a chain and kicked him, causing the pony to collied with the large hair spray can, consequently activating it and causing the rest of the henchponies, who didn't get captured in Spike's trap, to freeze in place.

"Way to go, Spike!" Twilight called out, having finally gotten the feeling back in her legs. One by one, the team could feel their bodies returning to normal and prepared for action. Rarity used her bracelets to create a giant nail filler to break them all free, much to the Mane-iac's shock and dismay and Korra smiled cockily at her.

"See? Told ya!"

Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, "Get mad!"

"I'm trying!" Fluttershy tried to get herself mad, but nothing was doing the trick.

None the less, the ponies and Team Avatar leaped into action! Rainbow and Twilight flew out, Korra created and ice bridge for her to slide down on, Rarity created a pair of stairs and elegantly galloped down, Pinkie Pie speeded away, Bolin turned into an eagle, Asami leaped down with Applejack while Mako shrunk himself and flew out.

Pinkie Pie speeded at the henchponies, shouting with joy: "Tag you're it! Tag you're it! Tag you're it! Tag you're it!" she was too fast for the henchponies to catch.

"Over _there_!" the Mane-iac ordered, "_There_! _There_! _Idiots_!"

Mako flew around the henchponies, his dragonfly wings flapping as he rapidly flew all over the place, making the henchponies end up colliding with one another in their attempts to catch him. The young man smiled in triumph until he spotted Korra unleashing her ice at the ponies. One of them appeared on the catwalk and leaped from above without her knowing.

"Korra look out!"

Mako quickly got in between, his body changing back to normal, and from his hands, he unleashed what appeared to be some form of yellow electric energy, which literally shocked the pony and he landed on the ground, dazed and crispy. Mako blinked in surprise at what he just did. Korra surprised him even more when she hugged him from behind.

"My hero!" she rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

More henchponies came at Twilight, but this time she used her ice beam to freeze the floor underneath them. They slipped and fell on the ice or against the walls.

Bolin shifted into various animals, shaking the ponies away with all of his might. He transformed into a lion, a rhino, an eagle and even an octopus, enwrapping the ponies in his tentacles.

Rainbow Dash's eyes glowed white, using her thunder bolt necklace, she summoned another thunder storm and formed a tornado, entrapping the henchponies within it.

"Need a place to put _these_ guys!" said the pegasus.

Rarity, who was staking like a ballerina in her new skates, created by the bracelets, formed three gigantic bird cages where Rainbow's tornado placed the ponies within.

Some of the ponies even tried to escape through the door, but they began to suddenly close on their own. The ponies also began to feel invisible kicks and punches on their bodies. How could they fight a foe they couldn't see?

"Hold it right there, partner!" Applejack used her enchanted lasso to tie the dazed pony and hung them from the ceiling. Asami manifested herself before Applejack, who leaped up and hoof/high five Asami in victory.

While everyone continued fighting the henchponies, Spike watched from the balcony of the catwalk, but soon noticed that there was one more pony who was not assisting in the fight. And who was trying to leave.

"Fluttershy, where are you going?"

"You seem to have everything under control." she said.

"Fluttershy, we need you! You have to power up!"

The Mane-iac heard him and readied to aim her cannon at Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry, it's just that nothing is making me mad."

Before she could fire, a miniature flying Mako showed up, his hands glowing bright with electricity, ready to fire. He stung her directly in her left eye, causing her to cry out in pain. Using her mane, she flicked the little Mako out of the way, causing him to hit the wall, very hard, reverting him back to normal size, and one of his wings was now broken. Fluttershy rushed to his aid.

"Oh, goodness! Are you okay?"

Mako grunted as he stood up. His injured wing, amazingly, hurt as much as if it were his arm or leg that had been broken. "Ow! My wing!"

"Can you fly?"

Mako tried to move his wing, but it was too painful. Even Fluttershy could tell it hurt for him to move it. If there was anything Fluttershy hatted most, it was when her friends were bullied. And worse, it was when one of them was the size of a teensy, little, harmless firefly. The yellow pegasus felt something ignite within her.

"Are you _kidding me_?" she said to the Mane-iac, "I mean, I know you're evil and everything, but you'd hurt toss my friend, up _against the wall like a piece of trash_?! _Really?!"_

As she spoke, her anger grew, as did her voice, which became deeper and deeper the more she spoke. Her eyes turning red in the process.

"Well you're just a _great, big, meanie!_ _There! I said it! What makes you think you're so special?! Like the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you?!__**Why don't you pick on somepony your own size?!**_

Fluttershy's body grew along with her anger, her green jumpsuit tore to pieces, her legs became bulky and large, rivaling that of Bulk Biceps. Her body was now ten times bigger than before. She had transformed into a gigantic pony monster, who roared loudly in pure anger.

The others watched on awe, even Korra and Bolin who came to Mako's aid. Even Mako himself couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Mane-iac, now fearing the monster, began pressing the buttons of the doomsdays device, which began to fire at the heroes. A blue ray shot right out, hitting Fluttershy, who managed to repel it with just the power of her strength and mighty roar. The beam came flying back, knocking the Mane-iac right off of the chain.

Fluttershy jumped onto the cannon and began smashing it to bits with no signs of remorse whatsoever. The entire Team gathered together, while watching wide eyed at the destructive nature of their friend.

In her rampage, Fluttershy then noticed the looks she received from her friends. She spit out a piece of the machine out of her mouth and blushed in embarrassment. Despite her new form, she was still fluttery underneath.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side." said Asami.

Then, they all saw the Mane-iac, who had been hit by her own ray, and so her hair was spinning out of control. While still laughing like crazy.

"My mane! My _maaaaaane_!"

The green tentacle hair enwrapped itself around her body, trapping her in her own hair, all while she laughed insanely. To shut her up, Korra froze her body solid, only her eyes could be seen moving and her muffled voice was heard. Korra blew the blue mist from her finger, smiling proudly.

"Nice one." Mako said, impressed.

Spike said proudly, "Once again, the day is saved by—" before he could finish, a flashing light appeared above them all and everybody was sucked inside.

(~)

Team Avatar and the now former Power Ponies where tossed out of the comic book and were back in the castle. The comic closed its pages and rested on the pedestal. Team Avatar noticed their outfits had changed back to normal and the ponies no longer had their costumes. Or their powers. But even so, that adventure was remarkable for all of them.

"Awesome!" Rainbow said, the others cheering in agreement.

Bolin looked sadly at himself, "Aww, man! I was really starting to get the hang of my new animal powers." he said with a pouty face.

Mako looked at his back, happy to see that the pain in his wing was now gone. "Ya know, I'm kinda gonna miss the wings." he said.

"I know I'm gonna miss that voice." Korra said giggling.

Mako narrowed his eyes, "Very funny." however, his attitude quickly changed when he received yet another kiss from Korra.

"But you were pretty amazing back there."

"Thanks." he said with a blush, "You were pretty amazing too. And I'm just just talking about that costume." he winked.

"Did you see how I was raining down a storm of justice at the end there?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"You catch how I was wieldin' that lasso?" said Applejack.

"Or how I knocked those ponies out!" Asami said, just as enthusiastic as the rest, "They never saw me coming."

"Because they couldn't see you." said Mako

"I know, right!"

"Cupcakes?" Pinkie Pie shared a plate of colorful cupcakes with the others.

Rarity; "How did you—"

"Eh, we had a good half second before we got sucked back out of the comic, and the Maretropolis bakery was only sixty-five blocks away!"

Spike, who was exhausted, laid down on the pillow on the floor, "I'm just glad to be back-Whoa!" he was unexpectedly lifted up by Korra, who hugged him tightly.

"I knew you'd come through for us Spike!"

"We wouldn't have made it without you." said Twilight, "And I hope you realize that just because we don't always need your help, it doesn't mean that we don't think you're helpful."

Spike smiled in return, "And that you don't have to have superpowers to be a super friend."

Everyone agreed, and Asami surprised Spike with a kiss on the cheek. "Our little hero."

"Let's here it for Spike!" Bolin shouted, pointing his fist into the air. The group began to lift Spike up in the air, cheering his name before he landed again, this time Mako catching him and placing the dragon on his shoulder.

"But I do have one question." Mako said, "Where exactly did you get that comic book?"

"I got it in Canterlot at the House of Enchanted Comics."

At the mention of this, the happy atmosphere died down and now everyone was looking at him with annoyed looks. Even Mako placed him back on the floor. How could he had not known the book was magic to begin with?

"Well, I didn't know it meant they were _literally _enchanted! I thought it just meant, like, the comics they sold there had really enchanting storylines!"

"Well, at least we got to have some fun." Korra stated.

Instead of staying annoyed, everyone agreed with her. It was true, they did have an epic adventure. But, they still had some work to do around the castle, which should be a since for them after everything they had just witnessed. Spike got up and joined them.

"Hey, wait up! I'm an important part of this team, remember?!"

Once they were all gone, the comic book suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light.

_(~)_

_"So even if Spike doesn't have super strength, or super speed, or can fly._

_That doesn't mean he can't be the hero of his own story. And even when things seemed hard, his friends never once gave up on him._

_Moral of the story; to true friends, you are always a hero._

_See you all next time for another installment of;_

Tales of Equestria!


	5. Rarity takes Manehattan

_"Oh Manehattan! _

_What you do to me! _

_What a huge bustling community-Oh! _

_Ahem, sorry I didn't see you there. I see you're all here for another story. Of course you are, why else would you be here._

_I was just singing an old tune sung by Rarity. You all know her, right? The fashionable and always creative unicorn with a generous heart. She is the Element of Generosity after all._

_This story is about the time Rarity was preparing for Fashion Week at ManeHattan. She was so excited not only to show off her new cloths, but to be as generous to all she met._

_But what happens when her acts of kindness…_

_Takes a wrong turn?"_

_*(~)*_

**Romans 14:13 ~ **

So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

***(~)***

**Rarity Takes Manehattan **

"I thank you all enough for coming with me." said Rarity. The white unicorn and her friends arrived at the Ponyville train station. The entire Mane Six, even Korra, Asami and Mako were there as well to join their friend on her journey to the most amazing and fashionable place in all of Equestria.

Manehattan city!

"Are you kidding?" Korra began, her smile beaming, "I wouldn't miss this for the world! To think, an actual urban city in Equestria."

"Remind me again why _I_ had to come along?" Mako asked as he placed his bags in the floor, "This really seems more like a girls only trip."

Korra rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on! Lighten up, Mako. Manehatten sound incredible! There's so much to see and do. And I hear they have these adorable rooftop restaurants where you can see the entire city at night."

"Funny you should mention that." said Rarity, "Because I made some calls and…." she took out a piece of paper with the name of the restaurant, "I made reservations for the two of you!"

Mako took the paper, looking in amazement. The place did seem like the ideal spot for a romantic evening under the stars, and looking down at the city down bellow. Korra sure seemed excited, maybe this trip won't be as boring after all.

"Wow. Rarity, this is so…."

"Generous?" Korra finished for him.

"Exactly!"

While the two were already discussing how amazing their date will be, Asami tried her best to not let her anger show. She could have said "no" to coming, but she did want to help her unicorn friend.

The little dragon Spike, and earthbender Bolin, came up with a trolly filled with Rarity's bags. "There you are, Rarity!" said Spike, "That's the last of your bags."

Bolin stretched, "No need to thank us. Just doin' what we men do. Helping out fair damsels."

"Actually, boys, I've got one last pile of bags, over there."

The two boys's eyes widened in surprise at the second large amount of bags right behind them.

"Won't you be a dear? After all, helping 'fair damsels' is what you're good at right?" she said while batting her eyes.

Bolin was hesitant, the first pile was heavy enough, but Spike, being already smitten by the pony's beauty, immediately went on to help.

"Sure… I'll be a dear…" Spike trained as he tried to pull on the luggage, only to receive help from both Mako and Bolin. The firebender never understood why this unicorn would bring so many bags with her.

"An entire week in the fabulous city of Manehattan!" Rarity said in excitement, "Plus, all of my very best friends there with me!"

"Of course we'd all come along to support you during Fashion Week, Rarity!" Twilight said kindly

"Not that you'll need it." said Fluttershy, "We're sure you'll win."

"She's right." said Korra, "Nopony else can make dresses like yours. And not even as fast."

Rarity squealed with delight, "I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that you'll all be there with me! However... Perhaps I can show you…" she opened her purse with her magic and levitated out eleven tickets."

"What's that?" Korra asked.

Pinkie Pie rose up her hoof like a child in class, "Ooh, ooh, ooh, I know! A paper fan!"

"No, it's—"

"A magic trick! You know, where I pick a card and remember what it is and then you put it back in the deck so you can't look at it and—"

"_These_ are tickets to the hottest musical on Bridleway!" Rarity exclaimed excitedly. The Mane Six all smiled in excitement.

"You _couldn't_ mean _Hinny of the Hills_" said Twilight, beaming, "because that show's been sold out for months! _Or could you?!"_

"I could. I do."

Twilight gasped and hugged her friend, along with the other ponies, "Oh, Rarity, you didn't have to do that, but... since you did…" The entire Mane Six all galloped and cheered with joy. But Korra and Asami were still rather confused by this.

"What's Hinny of the Hills?" Asami asked.

Rainbow Dash flew up to her, "Only _the _most amazing, super incredible musical _ever_!"

Korra had never seen Rainbow this excited since they met Daring Do in the flesh. Or fur. "Wow, must be quite a show to get you this pumped."

"Sounds like fun." said Asami

"This trip is fun already!" said Pinkie Pie while doing a back flip, "I _love_ jumping up and down! Whee-hee!"

(~)

The train made its way across the long bridge of the city, which looked a lot like the silver rope bridge back in Republic City. The place was truly amazing! The buildings were as tall as the eye could see, there were cute little boats sailing across the bey, a horse statue stood at the top of a tall building, and they spotted a statue of a green colored pony wearing a crown, rising up a flame torch in her hand, nearly similar to Avatar Aang's statue.

"Wow!" Team Avatar said in unison. The place looked like a pony-version of Republic City, only brighter, more colorful and filled with ponies. Despite the similarities, it was also pretty different. Korra, of course, loved anything having to do with learning more about the world of Equestria and its locations. She was never one to turn away the chance to see more of the land. Mako noticed the gleam in her eyes. That joyful and innocent smile and attitude, it reminded him so much of…of a little boy he once knew a long time ago. Could Korra be the key to bring him back one day. Or maybe, he was already slowly returning. Only time would tell.

They arrived at the ran central train station, with Spike and Bolin equally carrying Rarity's bags.

"Come along, everyone! I found us a place to stay only a block from the train station in the very heart of this glorious metropolis!"

As the group walked down the blocks, they took the chance to truly admire every detail of the city. Korra noticed all of the urban ponies in their modern clothing, tall buildings with advertisement billboards and taxi carriages pulled by strong-looking earth ponies. Mako's eyes caught sight of a particular building.

"Hey, look! There's the restaurant."

"Wow, it's gorgeous!" Korra said, admiring the building, "I bet it looks even more amazing at night. We don't have too many rooftop dinners in Republic City."

"And the ones we do have are only for the richest people around." Mako stated. Only to realize what he just said and turned to the heiress, "Uh, no offense Asami."

Asami simply shrugged, "None taken. It's really not the first time."

"Hey, look!" Applejack pointed towards a theater, decorated with lights and an image of a singing pony with a country side background, "That's the theatre where _Hinny of the Hills_ is plain'!"

The ponies 'oohed' in amazement before they continued walking once more. "Wow, Rarity! How'd you manage to get us seats for tomorrow night?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I gave some designs to the costume designer, so he pulled a few strings."

"Cool!" the Mane Six said in union.

"That is what makes Manehattan so splendid and amazing. You do something nice for somepony, and then you never know when they'll do something nice for you!"

"So then you can do something nice for us!" said Applejack.

"Like get us in to see _Hinny of the Hills_!" said Fluttershy happily.

"Which is only the best musical in all of Equestria!" said Rainbow Dash.

"It _must_ be good if Rainbow Dash is impressed." Mako said, "Normally she doesn't even _like_ musicals."

"I know. Ponies just bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat? Who does that?"

Mako's eyes widened in realization, "Hey, wait a sec-" before he could say another word, music filled the air.

**Rarity;**

_Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me_

_Such a huge bustling community_

_And there's always opportunity_

_To do the friendly thing_

Mako simply shook his head, raising his hands in surrender, "Not gonna question it."

Bolin and Spike were still struggling with the bags when Rarity came singing to them.

_If some are grouchy, pay no mind_

_Surprise instead with something kind_

She quickly bough two carrots on a bun from a nearby stand and handed them to the two boys. Spike ate his but a bird swooped in and took Bolin's, much to his annoyance.

_Lo and behold, you may just find_

_A smile is what you bring_

Once they reached the hotel they would be staying at, the bellhop, a young grey colored stallion, came out with a trolly.

"Welcome to the Mane Fair Hotel! Please allow me to take those bags to your room for you!

"Only if you'll accept this gratuity first." Rarity said, showing him a magenta jewel.

"Oh-ho-ho! I'll get your change!"

"Do keep it all. I insist!"

Mako reacted with a slight yelp at Rarity just handing out money all willy nilly. Even he was smart enough not to do that. Korra patted him on the back to ease him.

"Calm down, tiger."

Rarity then took her friends to a boat ride across the bey. The unicorn sang her heart out as her oink and white scarf bellowed in the wind. Korra was eating an ice pop while enjoying the view with the others.

**Rarity;**

_Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can give_

_Once they stopped, they descended down the wooden catwalk to see at the top of the pony statue. _

_Generosity, I'm here to set the bar_

_Just sit back and watch how I live_

Korra spotted a young filly, who dropped her ice pop on the floor. The Avatar graciously handed her her own and ruffled her mane. The pony smiled in gratitude.

At the top of the torch of the pony statue, Rarity was about to use the telescope when another pony was about to use it. Rarity allowed him to go first.

"After you."

"Why, thank you." he said.

Rarity spotted another pony, who was freezing from the cold wind and gave him her scarf, "Please, take mine."

"Wow, okay."

Korra smiled proudly at Rarity's kindness, and Mako watched as scene as well, equally touched. Inspired by this he saw one pony who no longer had any coins to use for the telescope, so Mako generously handed him one of his own.

"Here you go, buddy."

"Wow, thanks!"

Rarity smiled at him, "See? It's catching on!"

The whole group walked on to see the rest of the city.

**Rarity;**

_Some may say, "Rarity,_

_Don't be so big-hearted and bold_

_Treating strangers like they're friends_

_This town's too big and cold"_

The group them bumped into a grumpy looking pony, but Rarity was not having it.

_But this is how I play my cards_

_I'm not about to fold_

She bought a flower from a nearby stand and placed it on the grumpy pony's hat, making him much happier due to Rarity's kindness.

_Where I see a frown, I go to town_

_Call me the smile patrol_

**Rainbow Dash;**

_Oh, Manehattan, what you do to us_

**Fluttershy;**

_What if you find a Gloomy Gus?_

Fluttershy pointed to a taxi driver and a pony arguing due to one of the wheels being broken. Immediately, Korra, Bolin and Applejack assisted in lifting the carriage up.

**Korra;**

_It's no intimidating thing_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Just be kind without a fuss_

**Rarity;**

_Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do_

She kindly fixed the wheel so the taxi could take off once more, earning thanks you's from the two ponies.

_Generosity, you are the key_

_Manehattan, I'm here just for you_

_Just for you_

(~)

After the song ended, Rarity sighed dreamingly at a dress on display on a window. "To think my dresses could soon be displayed on the most glamorous shopping thoroughfare of the most glamorous city in Equestria! Oh, it would be my dream come true!"

"Is there anything left to do we can help you with?" Asami asked.

"Hm, nothing I can think of. The dresses are all completely finished, all made from a fabulous new fabric I've been developing for months in advance. Stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery, but not showy. Thanks to my new waterbending abilities, it's become even more perfect! Of course, I have Korra to thank for that part."

The Avatar blushed bashfully.

"It sounds amazing." said Fluttershy.

"There's nothing left for me to do but check in at the runway with my dresses by two this afternoon."

"Oh, that's funny." said Pinkie Pie "Because that clock over there makes it seem like that's only ten minutes from now!" her hoof pointed to a clock on the window, which really did show it was only ten minutes before two! To make things even more dramatic, thunder rumbled and it began to rain.

Using her waterebending to umbrella herself, "Oh, my ribbons and ice burgs. And the runway ballroom is all the way across town! If I don't get there, I'm disqualified!" she immediately galloped ahead, "_Taaaaxiii!"_

"Oh, no! We've gotta help her find a cab, now!" said Fluttershy.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash flew up and landed on a cap, "Hey, buddy! Is this cab taken?"

The pony inside the taxi spoke up, "The line ends back there, "buddy"!"

"Huh? What?" she looked behind her, seeing the long line of ponies waiting, "Does everypony in this town want a cab?"

"I'm afraid getting a taxi at this time could prove almost impossible!" said Rarity in distress.

Twilight Sparkle tried to plead with one of the ponies, "Please won't you let her have this taxi? She has somewhere very important to be right away!"

"Not likely!" he responded rudely as he got on the cap, "She can get in line like the rest of us!"

Korra growled in anger, "Hey! You can't talk to my friend like that!" she shouted but the taxi already took off. "Give me a few minutes, I'll get us a cap." she said while pounding her fists.

"It's no use Korra!" Twilight stated, "The cab drivers just drive right past to get to the next pony in line!"

It was then, that a certain pony from before came galloping ahead. It was the one who they helped before with his broken wheel.

"Hey, it's that pony driver from before!" Bolin said.

"New wheel works like a charm! So now which of you nice folks are hoppin' in?"

Rarity beamed, her act of kindness had returned her the favor, and just in time too. She hopped right into the cap, which oddly enough, had some rainbow colors in its side. "Fashion runway plaza in seven minutes. Can you make it?"

"Hang on!" the pony galloped his front hooves before dashing off, as Rarity waved at her friends.

"Ta-ta!"

Spike sighed in relief, "Whew, that was close."

"I'll say." said Korra. Then, she realized, "Uh, anybody else feel like we forgot something?"

The entire group gasped in horror: "The dresses!"

(~)

Rarity came galloping into the plaza, nearly out of breath and stopped in front of the receptionist. A purple mare with glasses and pale yellow mane who was typing on a typewriter.

"Good afternoon, I'm here for Fashion Week!"

"Everypony's gathered in front of the runway and about to start, so you'll just have to bring your dresses along with you and store them backstage later."

Rarity's eyes widened and her anxiety returned, "My– My dresses! How could I possibly forget them?! I'm dooooomed!"

Just as Rarity was about to give up, while already teary eyed and laying face first on the floor, while the receptionist remained unfazed, the bellhop from before walked in with a trolly filled with Rarity's designs.

"Got 'em right here, ma'am! Your friends told me you need these in a hurry, so I offered to race 'em over myself. "Anything for that nice mare," I told 'em!"

Rarity quickly took the dressed and thanks the bellhop by handing him another gem, "You're a lifesaver!"

(~)

Rarity galloped into the runway with her line of dresses and stopped right beside a line of other ponies, all brightly colorful and wearing stylish accessories, and sighed in relief.

"I made it! And with seconds to spare! Hello, everypony. Pleased to meet you all."

"Rarity, I presume."

An older female pony arrived, she was somewhat taller and slimmer than the others, and only slightly shorter than the male stallion. Her coat was grey and wore a pale pink jacket with yellow outlines and white ruffle around he collar. Purple and yellow earrings and a cutie mark consisting of a spool and scissors and pink mane and tail. Her voice was sophisticated and strict, similar to Miss Harcwhinny from the Equestria Games. Rarity immediately recognized her.

"You must be Prim Hemline, the host of this grand event. How do you—?" but Prim interrupted her, causing the unicorn to take a step back.

"Miss Rarity, how is it that all your competitors are here half an hour early, and yet you arrive seconds before we begin?"

Just as things seemed to be going well for her, they didn't. Rarity had to come with something fast. What would Korra come up with? Aside from that 'needed to use the bathroom' excuse.

"Uhhhh…" she chuckled nervously, "Just… lucky, I guess." she smiled in hopes Prim would let it slide. Thank Celestia she did. Rarity sighed in relief while the mare addressed to all the fashion ponies.

"Once we're done here, you're to finish setting up backstage, so you'll be ready for your run-through appointment." she turned to Rarity once more, "_You_ show your designs last. We keep to a precise schedule, so let's try to be more than a few seconds early, hmm?"

Rarity blushed in embarrassment.

"Tomorrow is the contest to see which one of you gets to stay to meet top designers all across the city. The rest of you must go home early. So sad. Dismissed!"

With that said and done, the prim mare and the rest of the contestants dashed off to get their designs ready. One pony in particular approached the unicorn. Her coat was bright pink and her mane and tail were curled to perfection in a slightly paler shade of color, similar to Rarity's much stronger colored mane. She wore her hair in a lose bun with a yellow headband and a two-tone blue scarf around her neck. She had colorful buttons for a cutie mark. She spoke in an upper-class accent and had brown eyes.

"I'm so glad you made it, Rarity!"

"Me too, but everything just seems to keep working out!"

"Don't you remember me?"

Rarity arched an eyebrow at the new mare, "Do I?"

"Suri Polomare from the Ponyville Knitters League?"

"Oh, yes, of course, of course! I– I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't place it." however, she still hardly remembered her. She felt guilty for not knowing, "You haven't been back in years!"

"Because I moved here to make it in the big city. Ha, ha, ha, okay?"

"Oh, good for you, Sur—" Rarity was interrupted when Suri spontaneously hugged her.

"Ooh, it's so good to see you! And now here we are, competing! Ha, ha, ha, okay?"

"Yes, yes. Well, good luck!"

"Oh, I don't need luck. Would you like a hoof with your things?"

"Why, thank you so much!" the two ponies walked backstage to get everything set. Rarity removed the cloths from her dresses, which immediately captured Suri's eye.

"My, your collection is gorgeous!"

"Oh now, I'm sure your collection is equally lovely, if not more so!"

"It's alright, but nothing like _this_!" she marveled at the beauty of the dresses, noticing their perfect balance of magenta and blue, and the blue was like a shimmering aqua illuminating fabric that was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Where did you get the inspiration?"

"Oh, it was really thanks to a friend of mine I met while I was away several months ago. In fact, she's inspired a lot of my new designs. She and my other friends have been so kind in helping me with the competition. I'm dedicating my work just for them."

"That's so sweet." Suri said, "Your friend must be something if she inspired _this_! You're so lucky, my culottes are simply crying out for just the right accent, but I haven't the slightest notion where I—" Suri gasped as an idea came to mind, "Actually… just a touch of this fabric could be perfect with it. W– Oh, hey, would you mind terribly if I took a swatch?"

"Oh, not at all! Here, I have loads extra." Rarity kindly levitated a large swatch of her one of a kind fabric and handed it to Suri.

"You're sure?"

"Positive! Oh, well, it's been wonderful getting caught up, and I don't wish to be rude, but I must finish my preparations and I am a bit late as it... is?" To her surprise, Suri was already gone. "Hmm, must be in a rush too."

But what Rarity did not know was that the pink pony wore a sneaky grin on her face as she walked out with the swatch in hoof.

(~)

The next morning, Rarity got up early this time and had all of her gowns up and ready. Her friends were off to see more of the city, but before they did, Korra stood outside in the hallway.

"Korra? Aren't you going with the others?"

"I am. I just wanted to give you something for good luck." The Avatar pulled out a stunning hair clip, in the shape of diamonds identical to Rarity's cutie mark. "I saw this yesterday and it reminded me of you." Korra placed it on her friend's mane. Rarity was touched by the thoughtful gift. "I remember how nervous I was at my first pro-bending match. But I know you're gonna knock em dead!"

Rarity smiled thankfully at her friend before hugging her leg. "Thank you, Korra."

"Anytime. Now get out of here, you've got a competition to win!"

The unicorn squealed with delight before running off with her dresses.

(~)

She finally made it to the reception area, "Hello! I'm here half an hour early for my run-through appointment, just the way Prim likes!"

"Get in line over there." the receptionist pointed to the line of fashion ponies awaiting their turn. Then, the once emotionally stern pony smiled in awe when she took notice of Rarity's cloths. "Oh my, that fabric's gorgeous, did you make that yourself?"

"Oh, why, yes. It's stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery—"

"Shimmery, but not showy."

Rarity suddenly heard another voice saying the exact words she herself used to describe her own fabric. She looked into the theater and she could not believe what she had seen!

Suri had used Rarity's unique fabric in ALL of her designs! Everything was exactly like hers! She could not believe her eyes, and what was worse, Suri acted like the whole thing was hers and hers alone!

"And the entire line is in the same adorable pattern. It works on everything from skirts to tops to shoes…"

Prim Hemline applauded for Suri's 'creation'. "Oh, bravo! I've never seen anything like it!"

Suri could not have been any prouder of herself. Just as she walked out, she felt a powerful source of magic pull on her scarf and she was slammed against the wall by a fiercely angry white unicorn. Some of the Avatar's brutality and boldness had rubbed off on Rarity, who sneered at the pink pony.

"You _stole_ my fabric!"

Suri laughed as she walked away from Rarity, unfazed, "I didn't steal it, okay? You gave it to me, 'member?"

"I gave you the fabric for _accents_! Not for your whole line! And how could you possibly make all of those outfits out of it so fast?!"

"Fast? Hah! Coco Pommel here took practically forever. Nearly got me completely disqualified." Suri pointed her hoof to her assistant, who was so silent even Rarity had nearly forgotten she was still there.

Coco was a lovely young earth pony with an off-white coat and two-tone blue mane and tail. Her mane was short with bangs. She wore a white-bordered lavender sailor collar with a scarlet tie and tri-shaped hair clip in the back of her mane and her cutie mark was that of a stylish hat in the same color scheme as her collar and her eyes were a clear lovely blue.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you'd win, so I took the extra time to—"

"Quiet! I pay an assistant to sew and get coffee, not talk. 'Kay?"

Rarity didn't know what to do. She had been to kind and generous to Suri and now, because of it, she had lost a sure chance of demonstrating her talents. Nothing made any sense. "How could this happen? This doesn't make any sense."

Suri pulled on a faux sincerer tone, "Aw, sweetie, don't blame yourself. It takes some small-town fillies a while to learn it's everypony for herself in the big city, m'kay?"

Suddenly, something ignited within Rarity. There was no way she was going to let her get away with this. With the water skin she always carried around her waist, Rarity bended the water out and hurled it towards a shocked Suri, freezing her against the wall. She grunted as she struggled to break free.

"Uh! What are you doing?!"

"You may think you've gained the upper hoof but you have no idea with whom you are dealing with!" with her horn, Rarity melted the ice, turning it back into water and placed it back into her water skin. Her eyes narrowed as he hovered over a frightened Suri, "Have I made myself clear?"

But Suri was braver than she looked, "You really think some pretty magic trick is going to scare me? Besides, you wouldn't hurt me for real. I know an empty threat when I see one, m'kay?"

Rarity backed away for Suri was right. She would never do anything _that_ aggressive to anypony. She was just so mad she reacted on impulse. Without another word, Rarity ran out crying as Coco watched her in sympathy.

Suri shook the remaining water off of her body as she approached Coco, "Hope you realize how fortunate you are to have me as a mentor. Now get me some coffee!"

(~)

Back at the hotel, the Mane Six and Team Avatar arrived after an epic day of sight seeing. Bolin was still jumping from the excitement while holding a foam finger. "Wow! What a great afternoon! That was almost too much fun!"

"I still can't believe how many times Mako fell when ice skating in that rink!" Twilight giggled.

The firebender laughed sarcastically, "Ha, ha, at least I didn't get my tongue stuck on the ice like a certain _somepony_."

"I wanted to try skating with my tongue!" Pinkie protested.

Rainbow Dash opened the door of the hotel room as the others walked in as well, "Better pace yourself, 'cause the rest of the day is jam-packed!"

"First there's the salon appointment to get our manes and hair done." said Applejack.

"Then our fancy dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Where Korra and I will be having a romantic meal under the stars." Mako said with a smile on his face, which was shared by the Avatar.

Fluttershy; "And after that…"

"_Hinny of the Hills_!" The ponies all exclaimed happily while jumped up in excitement before landing and laughing together, along with the human teens as Spike placed the rest of the stuff they bought on the corner of the room.

The door opened once more and a depressed Rarity entered. Korra was the first to spot her and her excitement immediately dropped. She knew something was wrong. "Rarity…is everything okay?"

"You got the dresses the bellhop brought you and everything, right?" Bolin asked, but Rarity ignored him as she approached her bed and started bawling on the sheets and pillow. "But he said he brought them."

"And then Suri _stole_ them!"

"Who's Suri?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity did some fast breathing before responding, "She's this sleazy, lying little rat!" she did more fast breathing before speaking again, "I let her use one of the other contestants of my one-of-a-kind fabric" more fast breathing, "and then she turned it into a wardrobe just like mine, " more fast breathing, "only now it looks like _I'm_ the one copying _her_! My generosity has ruined me, I tell you! _Ruined_!"

Seeing her friend so distressed was enough to get Korra's blood boiling. "Why that no good little-I'm going over there and giving her a piece of my mind!"

"I already did!" Rarity said in between sobs, "I froze her up to a wall and told her to knock it off but-" fast breathing, "It's too late!"

Korra sat on the bed and allowed the unicorn to hug her as she cried. "Rarity, I am so sorry. But we're here to help you through it. Right guys?"

"Right," said Twilight, "No matter what it takes."

The rest generally agreed to help their distressed friend. "Come on, Rarity, buck up!" Applejack said encouragingly, "All we need is some fabric and you'll be back in business!"

Korra kindly wiped the tears away and Rarity looked around the room, hoping to find some kind of inspiration. Then, the gears in her brain started to spin. She studied the room, the curtains, the walls, the sheets, even the carpets. After a few moments of pondering, she now knew what she was going to make. Her tears faded completely and her depression was now no more, being replaced by excitement and determination.

"This new line is going to be marvelous! Perhaps even better than the last! It's daring, it's bold! Perhaps I still have a chance after all!"

"See, I knew you could do it!" Korra said proudly.

Rarity jumped out of the bed and went into commando mode. "I'm going to need all hooves and hands on deck! Fluttershy, Asami, Twilight get the sowing machines. Korra, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie work on the fabric. Applejack, you're in charge of arranging, Mako organize and Bolin…bring me a drink! This is going to be a long night!"

However, while they were happy Rarity was back in action, this new side of her did seem a tad off. Especially for Korra. Something had changed inside her friend. And she didn't like it.

(~)

Hours had already past and the team was still working their tails off. Rarity needed an entire new line by tomorrow morning so they couldn't afford to rest. Rainbow Dash and Korra worked on the spinning wheel while Asami, Twilight and Fluttershy worked on the sowing machines and Applejack folded the fabrics with the help of the two brothers and Spike, since the boys were less knowledgeable about fashion making than the girls. Asami was good at working a machine while Korra knew how to sow from Katara.

All the while, a stone-faced no-nonsense Rarity observed all of the progress. Fluttershy nearly dozed off only to force a smile when Rarity spotted her. The unicorn narrowed her eyes at Pinkie Pie, who was playing will a ball of yarn. When Pinkie saw her stare she went back to work, trying to be enthusiastic but found it hard due to Rarity's grim demeanor. She then levitated more swats for Applejack and the boys to fold and arrange. She levitated the already arranged fabrics and handed them to Twilight and Asami.

"Twilight, Asami! Sew these pieces together according to that pattern there!"

"You said if we skipped dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern, you'd order a meal for us while we keep working." said Twilight.

"Don't fret. It'll be here in an hour." Rarity said sternly, which wasn't very much like herself at all.

Korra looked over at Mako sadly, "Sorry we couldn't have our dinner date tonight." she said.

"It's okay. It's not _your_ fault." he said while narrowing his eyes at the unicorn, who managed to catch what she was subtly trying to say.

"What was that?!" Rarity exclaimed angrily. Mako was almost done with her attitude but remained quiet. "There isn't going to be a problem here, is there?"

"Well, we're supposed to be watching _Hinny of the Hills_ by then…" Rainbow reminded her while tapping her hooves uncertainly.

"Oh! I see! I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning me in my hour of need?"

The Mane five looked on in guilt, but Korra knew that the unicorn was being unfair. "Rarity, I understand you're stressed out right now, but we've been working our butts off for-"

"Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see _Hinny of the Hills_ tonight!" Rarity stomped her hoof angrily, "And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment!" she got in between Rainbow and Pinkie Pie while speaking angrily and dramatically, " "Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! _Isn't friendship magic?!_""

It was now when Mako became fed up with her attitude. He slammed his fists down and stood up. "That's it! I've already given up on my date there is no way I'm spending another hour in this sweat shop with a pony pre-madona!"

"Mako!" Korra called out for him but the firebender had already left the room, slamming the door angrily in the process. Now it was Korra's turn to get upset. "Rarity, what's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into _you_?! Oh, go ahead! See your little show and have your precious date! Congratu-pony-lations, fillies! Sounds like you've all figured out already it's everypony for herself in this town!"

The unicorn angrily ran out the door, leaving the others to continue working. But Korra was not done with Rarity. Not yet. She walked out of the room after her friend.

"Rarity, wait!"

The unicorn hesitantly stopped but did not turn around to face the Avatar. Korra could sense the heartache in her friend's heart. It was this that had caused her to behave so badly towards everyone.

"I'm sorry Suri stole your designs, but I don't like the way your treating everyone. This isn't like you."

"How would you know?" Rarity said angrily, finally turning around to face her.

"Because the Rarity _I_ know would never treat her friends like this. What happened to that open-hearted unicorn who wanted to give nothing but happiness to everypony she met?"

"That pony was foolish and naive! She's _gone now_!" Rarity turned her back on Korra, literally. But the Avatar stood firm.

"No. The strong, creative and generous unicorn I know and love is still in there. And It's going to take a lot more than some backstabbing pony to get rid of her."

With that, Korra walked back into the room, leaving a distressed Rarity alone to sob by herself. All while a pair of cyan eyes watched her from afar.

(~)

Outside, Mako sat on the plight of stairs in front of the hotel, looking distraught when he heard an annoying voice. "Hey, aren't you one of those two legged human-thingies that came here with that has-been unicorn?"

Mako looked up to see a pink snobby pony, who smiled arrogantly. Mako immediately connected the dots. "Suri? You're the one who stole Rarity's designs!"

"So what if I did?" she confessed snobbishly.

Mako stood up and pointed a finger at her, "Do you have any idea what you put her through?"

"Hey, she's got to learn that that's how you get by in the big city. I did her a favor. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some more work for mu assistant to finish, m'kay?"

Suri walked off back into the hotel, leaving a guilt filled Mako behind. Maybe he should have been a much more patient friend to Rarity.

(~)

Daylight broke and the team was finally done with their work. Bolin and Spike were already sound asleep as Twilight and Applejack adjusted the last broach. "There. That's the last of them." said Twilight.

"Finally!" Rarity immediately took the gowns and galloped out of the room in a mad dash.

"_You're welcome_!" Korra shouted out in annoyance. But deep down, she hoped her friend would come back soon. She missed the old Rarity.

(~)

Suri was the first one to show off her new line. Cameras flashed as fashion critics and high society ponies marveled at the creation as the pony models showed them off. Suri stood beside Prim Hemline as she addressed to the crowed.

"Let's have another round of applause for Suri Polomare's amazing collection. That fabric! So original!" the ponies cheered and Suri waved to her adoring public.

Rarity narrowed her eyes in anger when Suri approached her, "Well look who's here. Here to show off your copycat collection, mm? Heh." she chuckled as she walked by with Coco in tow.

"And now, Rarity from Ponyville with her brand new line – and I mean "brand new" – Hotel Chic." Prim announced Rarity's name and her models walked out to show off her new line, inspired by the hotel room. Everypony loved them. They were so creative and out there, they couldn't help but adore it. Rarity gasped with delight.

"Oh! They're liking it! I think I may have just won this thing! Oh, I can't wait to celebrate with…" then, reality hit her once more as she looked at the audience, "My friends. They didn't come. What have I done?"

What had she done? After the way she behaved how could her other friends ever forgive her. And Korra, after the way she acted in front of her, she must be even angrier with her now.

Prim Hemline approached the unicorn, "Rarity, they all adore you! Aren't you going to tell them about your fabulous pieces?"

As Rarity looked on, all she could see was the rope in front of the audience which gave off a rainbow-colored glow. The space where her friends should have stood. Her eyes flicked with a Rainbow hue as Korra's words rang in her ears.

"_The strong, creative and generous unicorn I know and love is there in there. And It's going to take a lot more than some backstabbing pony to get rid of her._"

She was right. The old Rarity had not left, she was just lost. But now she knew which path to take.

"I have to go."

In a rush, Rarity galloped onto the stage and out of the room, much to Prim's and the audience's shock.

"Come back at once!" Prim called out, "This is unheard of!"

(~)

Rarity galloped outside and encountered the Bellhop pony once more, carrying an assortment of luggage, "How do you do, ma'am? Contest going well?"

"No time to talk. I have to find my friends!"

"Oh, uh, they're gone already. I saw them headed out this morning."

"Oh, no! Back to Ponyville and Republic City, I imagine. Oh, they worked so hard on my behalf! And I repaid them with unkindness." she then removed the hair clip the Avatar had given her before, "Korra…oh, she never stopped believing in me, even after I yelled and ruined her date! What have I done?!" as she began to gallop away she briefly stopped and gave the bellhop some jewels in gratitude, "Oh… here you are." she said before running off.

"But miss, I– I didn't do anything!"

But Rarity did not hear him, for she needed to find her friends at once.

(~)

Thunder roared and rain pored down, soaking Rarity's mane to the bone. The unicorn tried to find her friends but there was no trace of them. There was nopony else to blame but herself.

_Oh, Manehattan, what have I done?_

_The thought of Fashion Week was fun_

As she looked on a window display of a dress, all she could see were her friends selflessly helping her the night before.

_But I went way too far_

_My friends gave to me in ways so kind_

_And I gave them nothing but a hard time_

_And now alone I stand_

_And now alone I stand_

As the rain continued to fall, so did Rarity's spirit.

(~)

Back at the hotel, Rarity walked up to the receptionist, "I need a moment with Prim Hemline. I have to rush back to Ponyville, but I just wanted to thank her first for—"

"Uh-uh-uh, you'd best steer clear of Prim for a while." Suri said when she entered the lobby with Coco, "She's pretty furious. Isn't that right?" she said to her assistant who timidly replied.

"Um… yes."

The doors opened once more and Rarity's heart leaped for joy and relief when she saw both the Mane Six, Spike and Team Avatar, all smiling happily at the sight of her. Even Korra and Mako, who were the most furious.

"There you all are! I can't believe it, I thought you went back home!"

"We missed the show because we overslept." Twilight said sadly, "Suri told us you lost. I'm really sorry."

But while her friends showed their sympathy, Suri was smiling in satisfaction. Her smile then faded when she noticed Korra's angry death glare.

"I lost?" Rarity felt so hurt, but in reality this pain of losing wasn't as great as the pain of losing her friends. "You know what? I don't even care. I'm just happy you're all still here after how I treated you. Taking advantage of your friendship the way I did. And Korra, Mako, I am so sorry for ruining your date and made you miss seeing Hinny of the Hills after I tried so hard to get the tickets for you. How could you ever see past it?"

Her friends smiled kindly at their beloved unicorn, until Applejack broke the silence, "Yeah, you were pretty rotten."

Bolin's jaw hung open, "Wow, Applejack. I know your thing is honesty, but _come on_!"

Korra squatted down to Rarity's level and gently petted her mane, "I'm sorry for getting angry before. I just hatted seeing you in such pain. But I knew the _real_ Rarity would come around."

Twilight began next, "Last night we may not have seen you at your best, but we know you. And we would never let one thing like that change how we feel about you."

Pinkie Pie jumped around and hugged Rarity first, followed by the rest of the Mane Six, Spike and Team Avatar.

"And I'm sorry for walking out like that." Mako said, "That was pretty cold."

"Yeah it was." said Applejack.

Mako blinked, "Okay, we get it. Honesty's your Element. Don't rub it in!"

Rarity's eyes filled with tears of joy. "Oh, thank you! You really are the most wonderful friends a pony could have! You know, I already arranged to make it up to you this afternoon! Hope you're all available for an exclusive performance of _Hinny of the Hills_!"

The Mane Six cheered happily before walking out the door, all happily together once more. But then, Mako remembered something important. "Oh! I left my wallet in the hotel room. I'll be right back." the firebender bypassed Coco and Suri, the latter smiled in satisfaction.

"And _that_ is how it's done. Pretty clever how I convinced her to stay away from Prim, wasn't it? Wouldn't have wanted her to find out the truth now, would we?"

Coco lowered her head in shame. Just what was she doing with her life now?

(~)

Mako searched for the last place he had his wallet and found it on one of the beds. But then, something else caught his eye. He squatted down and picked up something from the pile of clothing from Rarity's bag. It was then a smile appeared on his face.

This was not over yet.

(~)

The Mane Six stomped their hooves in applause and cheered when the curtain went down. THe show was even better than they had imagined, and it was a private show just for them.

"Wow! That was even better than I imagined!" said Applejack

"Truly amazing!" said Asami

Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and made an air flip, "I _loved_ it!" she then realized her reaction and lowered down, trying to act aloof, "Uh, I mean, it was a'ight."

Applejack and Pinkie Pie laughed happily.

"How did you ever get them to agree to do an extra performance just for us?" Twilight asked Rarity.

"Remember my costume designer friend who got me the tickets? Well, I offered to make all the costumes for his next show!"

"Um, here in Manehattan?" Fluttershy asked, her voice dropping out of sadness.

Rarity noticed the rest of the sad expressions of her friends, "Well, um... yes... it will keep me away from Ponyville for a while. But I so wanted you to see this show! And working for this designer is such a great opportunity!"

"We know." Korra wrapped her arm around the unicorn, "We're happy for you, Rarity. We're just sad for us."

The doors opened and a voice was heard, "Room for two more?" The others looked up to see Mako and a certain little pony beside him.

"Mako? Where have you been?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, you missed the whole show!" Bolin said.

"I just needed to get something first. You guys know Coco Pommel, right?"

The pony looked at them shyly. "Mind if I join you?"

Rarity was the first to speak, "Sure. Come on down." Rarity was a bit curious as to what she was doing here. But the others were even more curious to see that Mako had brought with him a bouquet of lovely wild flowers. One of which he handed to Korra.

"I went to get you guys something to show I was sorry." he handed the bouquet to Rarity, for which the flowers were really for her.

"That's very sweet Mako but, why would I need this for?" said the unicorn.

"Because you're the winner of Fashion Week!"

"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock and Coco took out something from her saddle bag. Rarity took it and her eyes widened.

"This is the first place trophy. With my name on it! But I thought I lost!"

"You didn't." Mako stated as he continued to explain, "When I went to get my wallet I found something else." he showed them the scarf that was made entirely out of Rarity's special fabric, which was now colored magenta for Twilight's cutie mark.

"This is one of the scarfs I made for everyone. I was planing on surprising you all with them by the end of the week."

"When I found this I went to find Prim…."

…

_The memory replayed in his mind when he barged into the room and found Prim standing there, ready to announce the winner._

_"Can I help you?" the pony asked._

_"Actually, I think I can help." Mako took what he had found in the hotel room; a scarf made out entirely of Rarity's one of a kind fabric. Once Prim read what was on the back he angrily turned to Suri. _

_"Miss Polomare you are disqualified for stealing another designers fashion!"_

_Suri gasped in shock, "What?! But-But I-" to shut her up, Prim showed her the evidence._

_"Pack your things. An artist who steals from others, is not an artist at all!"_

_Suri then glared angrily at the firebender, who smiled in triumph. "Next time, don't mess with my friend. M'kay?" he mocked her using her own slang._

_Suri growled before stomping off._

….

"I don't understand." said Rarity.

"Look at what it says on the back."

Rarity read the words out loud, "To my dear friends. Love Rarity."

"This proved you made the fabric yourself."

"Mako, I-I don't know what to say! Thank you!" the unicorn hugged the firebender's legs, making him smile.

"Suri was hoping that if you didn't claim your prize, the judges would consider it a forfeit and first place would go to her." Coco explained, "So she lied to make you and your friends go away, and, well, I lied too. I've worked for Suri for so long, I started to believe that it really is everypony for herself in this town. Until I saw how generous you were with your friends and how generous _they_ were with _you_. It made me start believing there was something better for me out there. So, I– I quit. I brought you something to say thank you."

Coco took out a box from her saddle and gave it to Rarity, who smiled. "I suppose you'll need a job now that you're no longer with Suri. How would you like to work for my friend making all the costumes for his next show?"

Coco couldn't say yes fast enough!

(~)

The following morning, the group waved goodbye to Coco as they took the train back home. Bolin looked out the window, "Farewell Manehattan. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."

Rarity sat beside Korra and Mako, "I can't thank you both enough for what you did for me."

"You don't need to thank us Rarity." Korra said.

"Well, since you couldn't have your dinner at the restaurant, maybe I can make up for it."

(~)

And she did. That night, Rarity and the others arranged a lovely dinner at the rooftop of building, arranged personally for them. With a lovely gazebo, decorated with lights and flowers.

"Well, it's no fancy restaurant like you expected." Korra said.

"You know what, I think it's better this way." Mako said with a genuine smile, "It's the simple things you remember the most anyways."

Korra smiled in return, "I couldn't agree more."

Rarity levitated a jug of water for the two and poured it into their drinks. The two teens hugged the unicorn in gratitude.

"_Manehattan was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that, while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, _ever_ let that cause _you_ to abandon_your_ generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends."_

Once Rarity was done writing her own entry in the journal, she opened the box Coco had given her and smiled when she found it was a cute little spool with rainbow threads. She placed it with the others on her work table and the spool gave out a shimmering rainbow glow.

(~)

_"And so, Rarity had learned that Generosity_

_Really is the Key._

_I'll see you all next time for another adventure in_

Tales of Equestria!


	6. Bats

_(~)_

_"Hello everyone. Could you excuse me for a second._

_*two minutes later*_

_There, that should do it. Sorry, recently I've been having a, um…infestation problem. Regarding a certain species of flying rodents!_

_I'm of course referring to Bats!_

_Oh, I never understand how people can love these things! Worse, come up with mushy romantic novels based on them where they turn human. Gross!_

_Interestingly enough, today's story actually involves bats._

_It happened during apple buck season, where a certain apple herder was getting ready for the harvest._

_(~)_

**Bats!**

The sun was just about to rise, the night sky was already shifting from dark blue to bright orange and pink. A certain apple pony stood before her orchard, awaiting patiently for the run to officially rise up.

"Any minute now…"

The majestic yellow orb in the sky rose up from behind the hilltops, blessing the earth with its warmth and light. The rooster let out a crow, and the once dark orchard was now lush with vibrant green and red colors, which were brought to life thanks to the first ray of sunlight of the new day.

"Yee-haw! It's officially Apple Bucking Day!"

It was that time of the year once more, the time where Applejack would buck the fresh new apples from the trees to make her family's best apple-themed treats and drinks. After all, Sweet Apple Acres was the best place in Ponyville to get apple pie, apple fritters, apple cider, apple juice, apple sauce, anything really. The happy country pony galloped through the orchard, mercerized by the shiny bright apples just begging to be bucked.

"Look at all those apples! Ripe and juicy, perfect for bucking'!"

She did not waste a second and bucked the very first tree, happily admiring the stunning fruit that fell around her. The shinning apples of red and green shined like the gems in Rarity's outfits. But, sadly, that moment came to a devastating halt.

When the first apple landed on her hooves, it splattered into gussy yellow much, as if the apple itself had lots its juice and was sucked up dry. The rest was said for the apples that landed on the ground around her. They had all been dried out.

"What the heck is goin' on?"

Then, suddenly, Applejack heard the sound of flapping wings and screeching noises. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock.

"They're _back_!"

(~)

The firebender watched in astonishment as the female Avatar gently healed the fox's wounded paw with her waterbending. She and Mako were visiting Fluttershy at her cottage, Korra had offered to help Fluttershy tend to her injured animals.

This side of Korra was one of the many things that made Mako feel extremely lucky to have met her. While the Avatar was mostly hot-headed, independent and resilient, she possessed such a caring and even motherly side towards animals, which would explain a whole lot more of her close relationship to the ponies, and her being so openly welcome to the rest of the town pony folk.

The fox nuzzled Korra's hand lovingly, earning a smile from the Avatar. "You're very welcome, little one."

"Thank you so much for helping me with the animals, Korra." Fluttershy said thankfully.

"Anytime, Flutters." she said sweetly. Mako noticed one of the baby badgers nudging on his leg. "I think they like you." Korra said as she stood up and approached Mako. She squatted down and took the badger into her arms, allowing Mako to pet it. "Relax, he won't bite."

Mako, with a bit of hesitation, reached out and petted the baby's head. The little mammal let out a happy squeak, making the young man smile. But the one smile that lit up his heart was the one Korra gave him.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a bell ringing. "That sounds like its coming from Sweet Apple Acres." said Fluttershy.

The bell was also heard by a certain alicorn princess and her dragon assistant, as well as an earthbender who was helping Pinkie Pie with some Sugar deliveries and a raven-haired heiress who was getting her hair done by a certain white unicorn. They all stopped what they were doing and rushed to where the sound was coming from.

(~)

The bell of the Apple Acres barn rang loudly. The rest of the Mane Six, along with Spike and Team Avatar arrived at the barn.

"Attention! This is a Sweet Apple Acres code red! I need all hooves, hands – and claws – on deck!"

"Calm down, Applejack." said Rarity.

"Calm down?! How can I calm down at a time like this?! Vampire fruit bats are attackin' Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Fruit-what-nows?" Korra asked.

"Fruit bats!" Applejack repeated, "They sucked all of the new apples dry!"

"But I thought the fruit bats usually stayed put in the west orchard." said Twilight.

"The _fruit bats_ do, but these aren't just your everyday ordinary fruit bats. They're _vampire_ fruit bats!"

Bolin began to quiver in fear, "_Vampire _bats?!"

"I'm sure it's not _that_ kindof vampire, Bolin." Asami assured him while speaking in a kind manner.

"I'll be darned if they think they're gonna sink their fangs into my blue ribbon apple." Applejack removed a white blanket which was covering a very large, very bright, looking apple which literally had the tree it was attached to, bend over due to its size. The group was amazed by this treasure.

"Wow!"

"This here's our entry into the Appleloosa State Fair's produce competition." she exhaled her breath onto the apple, using her tall to polish it, "You know how much TLC goes into getting an apple to grow like this?"

Rarity admired the shinny apple, primarily the fact she could see her own reflection in it, "Applejack! When you go big, you _really_ go big!"

"Them vampire bats want to shrivel it up like a raisin!"

"And you want us to help you get rid of em, right?" Korra said.

"Exactly!" Applejack winked. But Fluttershy had a different mind-set on the matter.

"Oh, I'm sure if we just let them know how special that particular apple is to you, they'll leave it alone."

"Yeah, right. Be my guest." A.J. said sarcastically.

Korra approached the pegasus, "Fluttershy, have you ever even talked to a vampire bat before?"

"Well, um…no. But there's a first time for everything. Right?"

Korra knew she had lost this argument, since the pegasus used her own words against her. Which, ironically, made her feel proud.

(~)

Fluttershy flew up towards a tree, the ground was covered in shriveled up apples, and the tress looked almost a pitch black. She opened her mouth to try and speak with the creatures, "Um, excuse me, Mr. Vampire Bat-" another rotten apple was tossed to the ground before her. "We were just wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind leaving that really big apple alone?"

She patiently waited for a reply, smiling hopefully. The only response she got was a patch of seeds hammering at her face. A sure sign to tell her to go away, which she did.

She walked up to Applejack while removing the seeds from her mane with her wing.

"Well? What'd he say?" A.J. asked.

"Um… yes."

Applejack smiled at this news.

"But… it could've been a no."

Applejack's mood dropped.

"This is the first vampire fruit bat I've ever met and, well, it might take some time for me to really understand their language."

Applejack arched an eyebrow, "Uh-huh. And in the meantime, this pest and his vermin friends are gonna go after my prized apple and, while they're at it, every other apple in the orchard! These vampire bats are nothin' but a bunch of monsters!"

Fluttershy gasped, "_Monsters_?!"

"Uh, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Korra said, cringing a bit. Sure, these bats weren't what she would call "adorable", but monsters was a bit of a stretch.

"No, I do not."

As the bats flew out of the tree, music filled the air.

**Applejack;**

_Those vampire bats will give you a fright_

_Eating apples both day and night_

_They rest for a minute, maybe three_

_Then they're eatin' every apple in your apple tree_

As she sang, more fruit bats but on the apples, sucking them dry as the remains landed in front of her hooves.

_They don't care about nada, not zilch, no, nothin'_

_'Cept bringin' about an orchard's destruction_

Bolin shrieked when the bast flew around him. Korra nudged at Fluttershy to say something

**Fluttershy;**

_Now wait just a minute, there's another side to this_

_And if I did not defend them, then I would be remiss_

She flew to one of the trees, where a sweet-looking family of bats, a mother, father and baby, rested peacefully on a branch.

_These bats are mamas and papas too_

_They care for their young just like we ponies do_

The baby bat flew around Fluttershy, nuzzling her face before flying down and landing on Korra's head, snuggling on it as if it were a bed. She had to admit, this little one was pretty cute.

But Applejack wasn't buying this.

**Applejack;**

_Oh, give me a break, you're bein' too kind_

_These creatures have a one-track mind_

_The orchard is not their restaurant_

_But do they ever think what others may want?_

_No! They don't! And that is just a fact_

_These bats, they simply don't know how to act_

She angrily shooed away two bats fighting over an apple.

**Fluttershy;**

_That's where I have to disagree_

_They're loyal to their family_

_Spreading seeds both far and wide_

**Applejack;**

_You see one comin', you'd better run and hide!_

She wrapped herself around a blanket, giving the impression of a bat, as she sang the next part of her song while demonstrating the devastating state her trees were now in due to the creatures.

_They're big and ugly and mean as sin_

_Will ya look at the state my trees are in?_

**Fluttershy;**

_They help your trees, they'll grow stronger faster_

**Applejack;**

_They've turned my life to a total disaster!_

It now seemed Fluttershy was the only one who disagreed with Applejack, as the rest of the Mane Six and Team Avatar began to agree as well.

**Asami;**

_Well, I for one don't have a doubt_

**Rarity;**

_These vermin must be- _

**Asami and Rarity;**

_-stamped right out_

**Rainbow Dash;**

_I second that, they've got to go_

**Rainbow and Bolin;**

These bats, they've got to hit the road

**Applejack;**

_It comes down to just one simple fact_

_They've crossed the line, it's time to fight them back!_

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Rainbow Dash all galloped around Fluttershy, chanting and singing un unison. Fluttershy, Korra and Mako were the only ones not singing while Asami and Bolin were.

_Stop the bats! Stop the bats!_

_Make them go and not come back!_

_Stop the bats! Stop the bats!_

_Make them go and not come back!_

_Stop the bats! Stop the bats!_

_Make them go and not come back!_

**Applejack;**

_Yes, it comes down to just one simple fact_

_They've crossed the line, it's time that we attack!_

Once the song came to a close, Korra stepped forward and crunched down to comfort a worried Fluttershy. "I get you're upset about this Applejack, but I think Fluttershy makes a good point too."

Applejack as pretty surprised by this, especially when it came from Korra. But not everypony agreed. Rarity stepped forward, "I'm sorry, Korra, but I believe Applejack has made the better argument. These vampire fruit bats sound downright dreadful."

"Exactly. So let's get to roundin' them bats up so they don't destroy the rest of my orchard." said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie began hopping singing to the tune of Winter Wrap Up, "_Fruit bat round-up, fruit bat round-up_!"

Fluttershy then spoke up, "Um, excuse me, but, um, what if instead of rounding them up, we... let them have part of the orchard?"

Applejack whinnied in shock before turning around to face the pegasus, "Have you lost your pest-lovin' mind?!"

"Actually, I think she's onto something." Korra said, surprising the others.

"What are you talkin' about?!"

"We do have a type of fruit bats back in our world too. The Monarch Flutter Bat found in the Fire Nation, and from what Fluttershy described they share the same characteristics. After they eat the fruit, they spit out the seeds, so once they hit the ground more and stronger trees grow in their place." Korra explained… which left behind a few bewildered, blinking expressions.

"How did you know that?" Bolin asked.

"I read it in a book once." Korra said with a casual shrug, which still left a lot of the others surprised. Korra pouted in annoyance and groaned. "The compound I grew up in had a library, I needed something to kill my boredom when I got grounded."

"Korra is right. Besides, they're only here because they're hungry!" Fluttershy explained, "If we build a sanctuary for them, they could have their own apples to enjoy. After a while, they could even help the rest of your orchard. The vampire bats don't eat the seeds of the apples, and when they spit them out, they grow into even more productive apple trees!"

"Which is exactly what I just said." Korra pointed out.

But sadly, the stubborn Applejack did not approve, "Listen, guys. That sounds real nice 'n' all, but every second we spend buildin' this so-called 'sanctuary' is a second they'll spend destroyin' orchards! You don't know what it was like the last time there was an infestation, but Granny Smith has told me enough stories about it that just the thought of it gives me nightmares!" she shivered, "Granny says we lost a huge section of orchard that year. They had to ration out apples all winter!"

"What about the cider?" Rainbow asked hopefully, "There was still cider, right?"

"Not…a…drop."

This was enough to get the spirited pegasus all up in a frenzy. "No cider?! _No cider?!_ We need to round up these monsters, and we need to do it now!"

"What's the big deal?" Asami asked, "It's just juice."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at her, her nose practically touching hers, before zipping away at top speed, creating a gust of wind that caused Asami's hair to cover her face. Once she removed all of it, Rainbow Dash arrived in five seconds flat with a bottle of apple cider in her hooves.

"Try. This!"

The heiress complied, arced and eyebrow and took a sip of the liquid. At first, she was indifferent, then her eyes snapped open and stood perfectly still. Bolin waved his hand in front of her face. "Asami? You okay?"

Almost immediately, the heiress grabbed his collar, now looking fiercely determined. "Bats need to go now!"

Applejack spoke once more, "If Granny Smith wasn't with Apple Bloom an' Big Mac checkin' out our produce competition in Appleloosa, she'd be here tellin' us to do just that!"

Fluttershy's ears lowered in sadness as Twilight approached her, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I think Applejack is right."

Bolin tapped his chin in thought, "If only we could somehow convince the bats not to eat the apples in the first place."

Twilight gasped in realization, "Maybe there is! Bolin you're a genius!"

"I am? I am! How am I a genius again?"

(~)

Everyone gathered at Twilight's library and the princess found a special spell in one of her books. "So, there's good news and bad news." she said, "The good news is that I found a spell that can get the vampire fruit bats to stop wanting to suck the juice from the apples. But in order for the spell to work, I need the bats' full and complete attention." as she said the last sentence, Twilight was looking at Fluttershy.

"Oh no."

"Fluttershy, I need you to do your Stare on the bats."

"Oh, gosh, I don't know."

"What's the problem?" Rainbow asked, "You've used the Stare plenty of times before! Heck you used it to scare an equalist right out of his biplane!"

"Yes, but it's not something I take lightly. I've made a vow not to use it except in dire circumstances."

"This circumstance is plenty dire to _me!_" said Applejack.

"Me too!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash in despair, "Think of the cider! Won't somepony _please_ think of the cider?!"

Asami then took the pony in her arms in sympathy, "Seriously! Have you no souls?!" Mako, Bolin and Korra looked at Asami with slight fear and concern, then at one another and then back at Asami. "What?" she asked…right after the bottle of cider fell from her back pocket, already empty.

"Did you drink all that cider?" Korra asked.

"Maybe. Kind of. So what if I did? _Mind your own business!_" the heiress was uncharacteristically jittery which came as a concern to the teens. Asami squatted down and pleated to Fluttershy, "Please Fluttershy, do it for the cider-I mean, me-I mean, Applejack!"

"I'm sorry. I just don't like the idea of taking away the thing that really makes the vampire fruit bats Vampire fruit bats! It just feels wrong!"

"But if we _don't_ do this, there won't be any apples left for anypony here in Ponyville." said Twilight, "Doesn't that feel wrong, too?"

Fluttershy looked up at Korra for suggestion or motivation, however even the Avatar didn't know what else to do. They both didn't want to harm the creatures, but being torn between their friends was too much to bare. The Mane Six all knew how Korra was feeling, as well as Fluttershy, but they all agreed that the bats needed to be taken care of.

Korra then spoke up, "The spell won't harm them physically, will it?" she asked the alicorn. She read a few words on the page and shook her head. "Okay, listen. If Fluttershy agrees to this, right after Applejack bucks all of the apples, Twilight reverses the spell on the bats and then we can calmly figure out what to do with them afterwords. Does that sound fair?" The ponies immediately agreed to this plan. Even Mako was surprised by this.

"So what's it gonna be, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, "Will you do your Stare on the bats or not?"

"Um… Um... Okay, I'll do it."

Asami pounded her fists into the air, cheering, "Yes!" she noticed all eyes were on her, "I mean…good choice."

"Agreed." said Rarity, "I knew you wouldn't side with those icky bats!" she whimpered in disgust.

"They're not icky." Fluttershy said with a scorn.

(~)

Back at the farm, Applejack stood before the group, "Alright, everyone. We've gotta round up these beasts with wings first. Time's a-wastin'!"

First, Applejack tied several apples on Pinkie Pie's head, looking like a fruit hat from a fiesta. The pink pony hopped along, grabbing the attention of various bats. Bolin and Asami gathered the bats with baskets of apples. Once swarm began chasing after Bolin and he began screaming as the bats chased him. Rarity, while wearing a contamination suit, levitated a butterfly net to try and capture a bat hanging from a tree. In the process, the net had hit the tree, causing an apple to land on Rarity's mask and slat all over it. The bat smelled the sweet aroma and landed on the unicorn's mask, liking the juice and frightening the pony. She galloped away while screaming in disgust.

"Ew, ew, ew, ewwww!"

Another group of bats were eating some applied and spitted out the seeds, when Rainbow Dash came swooping in to grab them.

"Gotcha!"

The pegasus gathered more and more bats. Pinkie giggled when she placed the apples near a tree, which also had buckets of apples on the branches. Rarity, and the bast that followed her, also stopped there to eat the apples. Bolin and Asami came in and handed the baskets to Twilight and Fluttershy who placed them on the branches. Korra used her airbending to lift the apples which lead a large swarm to the tree and Rainbow Dash came in with the bats she had captured with her speed. The entire tree was now filled with vampire fruit bats.

"Good work, everybody!" Applejack said proudly, "I think we got 'em all!"

"Not all of them!" Mako came shouting and running with another patch of apples and a swarm of bats chasing him. Twilight came in and took the basket, placing it on the branch and Mako stopped to catch his breath. "Glad that's over!"

Applejack then turned to Fluttershy, "Now all we need is for you do to your Stare."

But Fluttershy was still unsure, "Oh, um, are you sure I really need-"

Korra squatted down and petted her head, "It won't be for good. Once the spell if reversed we'll find a better home for them. I promise."

"Okay." the sad pegasus flew up to the bats who were already sucking the apples, "I really, really, _really_ hate to do this to you... I just hope you can forgive me…"

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a brief moment, feeling sincere regret for what she was about to do. She opened her eyes, giving the bats the Stare. The creatures hissed at her first, but then they stopped, seeming as if they were locked in a trance.

Applejack smiled in relief at their progress, "Good… Now you go, Twilight!"

Before she could activate the spell, she looked up at the worried Avatar, "I promise I'll remove the spell once the harvest is done."

Korra still felt uncertain but nodded her head. So long as this meant she didn't have to pick sides between her friends. She hatted that immensely.

While Fluttershy continued doing her Stare, Twilight activated the spell. Her horn glowed a bright magenta as did the bats, who were still under the trance. During the event Korra couldn't take her eyes off of Fluttershy, who's intimidating glare was glued straight onto the bats. Suddenly, Korra felt something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it and it didn't seem like something that great. But still, she felt a slight uneasiness in her stomach. Small but it was still there.

Once the spell was done both Twilight's horn and the bats stopped glowing. The alicorn nodded to the others. The deed was done.

"You can stop staring, Fluttershy." Twilight said.

The yellow pegasus ended her glare and looked down at her friends.

"Did it work?" Spike asked.

"Only one way to find out for sure." said Applejack. She nodded her head at Rainbow Dash who nodded in return.

One of the bast rubbed his eyes, feeling like he had just woken up from a dream, when Rainbow offered him and apple to eat. The bat sniffed it twice before turning away in disinterest and flew off. Rainbow cheered with delight, "Ye-he-heah, whoo!"

Even Asami was jumping up and down with joy, "Yeah! Whoo hoo!"

But none were as happy as Applejack was. "My crop is saved! Yee-haw!"

"We'll be drinking cider all winter long!" cheered Rainbow Dash. Asami surprised her with a hug.

"First round's on me!"

"I wanna thank you for your help." said Applejack, "I couldn't have done it without you."

Spike smiled proudly, "Aw, don't mention it, Applejack. It was my pleasure! Really!" The others arched an eyebrow as Spike walked ahead proudly.

"Now all we gotta do is sweep up these cores so I can start buckin' fresh tomorrow morning'!" Applejack was surprised when Asami was now suddenly face with face with her.

"Then you can make more apple cider right? Right?!"

Asami's new attitude still concerned the other teens. "Asami, you sure you're feeling okay?" Bolin asked, almost scared to hear her response. Or rather how she would respond.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" the heiress smiled, right before her eyes began to twitch, which only concerned the others even more.

"Oh, no reason." Mako said, feeling more and more concerned, "You just seem a bit… jittery is all."

"Jittery? I'm not jittery. Why would you think I'm jittery? _Maybe you're jittery!_"

Korra gently took the heiress by the shoulder, "Yeah, why don't we just take you home?"

The two brothers led Asami away while the others walked beside them. But then, Korra noticed that Fluttershy was silent. Very silent. The pegasus was staring very strangely at one of the fallen apples. The Avatar tried to get the pony's attention.

"Fluttershy?" but she completely ignored her, still fixated onto the juicy red fruit. "Fluttershy? Hey, are you listening to m-OW!"

Korra had tapped on Fluttershy's head to get her attention, only to suddenly have the pony bite her wrist in response. Korra quickly removed her hand and rubbed the place her friend had bitten her. The others heard her scream and Mako was the first to rush towards her.

"Korra!"

Fluttershy shook her head, trying to make sense of what she just did. "Wha…? What happened?" she noticed the bite mark on Korra's wrist and she gasped, "Oh my goodness! Did I-Korra, I'm so sorry! I didn't know what came over me!"

Mako narrowed his eyes at the pony, "Fluttershy, what's gotten into you?!"

"I-I don't know! I-I'm so sorry!"

Korra placed a hand on his shoulder, "Mako, it's okay."

"She bit you!"

"I'm fine! Look, it's been a long day for all of us. Let's just get some rest."

But everyone was still deeply concerned for their friends. Why did Fluttershy bite Korra all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense. Realizing they weren't going to let it go, Korra had to forcibly shove Mako a few feet away to get her point across.

"I'm fine! Let's just go home." the Avatar walked off, leaving a very confused and devastated Fluttershy behind.

(~)

That night, back at Air Temple Island, Korra was in the bathroom, washing her arm. She could still feel the sting from Fluttershy's bite. Which was still a mystery as to why she did such a thing. I wasn't like Fluttershy to do this. Did something go wrong during the spell?

Korra winced as she bended the glowing waters around her wrist. "Man, I never knew Flutters had such sharp teeth." Suddenly, almost as if my magic, the bite marks dissolved into her skin and her wrist was all healed. "That was…weird." Korra jolted upwards in shock when her mentor's voice called out to her.

"Korra, time for diner!"

(~)

At diner, Korra still couldn't stop looking at her wrist. The bite mark was gone but she felt…different. She soon realized with as due to hunger. She hadn't realized it but she was very, very hungry. Starving even.

Pema walked into the room with a bowl of fruit, for which caught Korra's eye. Primarily the apples.

"Hope you guys brought our appetite." said the mother in a cheerful attitude. She placed Korra plate in front of her but, one look at the food and suddenly Korra lost the appetite to eat the rice and other fruits. The only fruit she hat set her eyes one were the red, juicy bright ones in the bowl. Tenzin placed his hands together, asking the family to say their prayers. But even when Korra tried to focus, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the apples. Her stomach growled for them, Tenzin's voice turning mute and all she could see, and think about were the apples. She heard Tenzin say something that ended the prayer and Meelo reached out for an apple first. Only to have his wrist grabbed by Korra almost like lightning.

"Huh?" Meelo looked at Korra in confusion and the Avatar finally came back to her senses, realizing the incredibly fast grab she went for to get the apple. Even Tenzin was surprised.

"Korra? If you wanted one you could have just asked."

Korra released the boy's wrist, not having place a lot of strength into it, and sat up straight. "Sorry. Can I have some?"

"Of course." Pema said cheerfully, handing out the bowl to her, "Take as many as you'd-" Pema's eyes widened at the laser fast way Korra took all of the apples from the bowl, leaving behind all the others. "-like?"

The family watched in confusion as the Avatar practically gorged herself in nothing but the apples. She ate them almost as if they were the last food on earth. They knew she had a large appetite but this was crazy. She didn't even touch the rest of her food. She ate the apples in less than five minutes, leaving only the seeds behind and not even the core of the apples remained. She let out a small burp and covered her mouth.

"Excuse me." she got up and stretched her arms, "Thanks for dinner." she said gratefully and prepared to leave.

"But, you haven't eaten the rest of your food, sweetheart." Pema mentioned, pointing at the untouched meal.

"I'm already pretty stufted, but thanks."

Korra walked out of the room cheerfully, leaving the rest of the family confused as to what they had just seen.

(~)

Korra tossed and turned in her sleep. Her body was sweating, she couldn't rest. She was hungry again. She finally got up and jumped out the window, while Naga slept soundly. The Avatar walked around the temple, looking for something to eat. She knew she had smelled it. What she hungered for. It was near. She knew it. She heard the sound of a lemur who flew down from a tree to grab an apple. But just as it was about to take a bite, the little creature heard the Avatar call out to it from the tree branch.

"That's _mine_."

Korra lunged forward to grab her meal. The lemur flew away, dropping his apple in the process, which Korra devoured.

(~)

"Apple Bucking Day, take two!"

The rooster crowed once the sun rose up over the hills. Just like the day before, she galloped happily.

"Yee-haw!"

With the bats gone, she could finally buck the apples in peace. "Time to collect those juicy, sweet apples!" she bucked the first tree and happily watched as the first apple fell.

Her happiness quickly died once the once beautiful apple was now splattered onto the ground.

(~)

Twilight couldn't believe it. "The spell didn't work!" she said in shock. The apples were still sucked up dry just like the fruit bats left them the previous day. Team Avatar and the Mane Six were gathered at the orchard when Applejack called them to see what she had uncovered.

"You're darn tootin' the spell didn't work!" said the angry country pony.

"But this doesn't make sense." Mako said, scratching the back of his head, "We saw it work fine yesterday."

"Maybe it had an eight hour timer or something?" Bolin said, "What do you think Korra?"

But the Avatar was still feeling a tad under the weather. Ever since she woke up this morning she had felt like an anvil had hit her head. She groaned and Mako placed his hand over her forehead.

"You've been acting like this all morning."

"I'm okay." she said, "I just didn't sleep so well last night."

"You sure you're going to be alright?" Rarity asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"I think we're gonna have to take more extreme measures!" said Applejack.

"I hear ya, Applejack!" said Rainbow Dash, "C'mon, everybody! Let's track down those vampire bats!"

The team rushed towards the trees where the bats all stood, completely calm….and not eating any of the apples that were on the tree they stood on.

"They're not eating anything." said Asami.

Indeed she was right, even one of the bats sat on an apple, reading a book. Rainbow offered him an apple, who only swatted it away from her hoof. Rainbow winced when the apple landed on Rarity's horn.

Applejack came to a conclusion, "Wait a minute... I don't think these bats are the ones that sucked my apples dry." she said while Rarity removed the fruit from her horn.

Rarity began, "But if the vampire bats aren't eating your apples who is?"

This was indeed a mystery. Without the bats, what other animal could possibly be eating the apples. Twilight turned to the yellow, pink-haired pegasus.

"Fluttershy, you're our animal expert. Do you know of any other creature that might be capable of this?"

"I'm sorry. I don't." she said truthfully.

Mako took one of the rotten apples and studied it. "There's only one way to find out." he said.

Twilight nodded her head, thinking the same thing. "We'll have to catch whoever it is in the act."

"Exactly!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Rarity asked.

"A stakeout!" both firebender and alicorn said in unison, catching everyone, and even themselves by surprise.

(~)

"The witching hour…" Rainbow said in a spookily voice as she and the others walked the orchard at night. The moon was full and the ground was shrouded with rotten cored apples, leftover by the mysterious creature.

Bolin shivered at the pony's spooky voice. "Could you please not talk like that."

"Keep it together Bolin." said his brother, right after he heard the sound of an owl hooting in the distance. Bolin instinctively clung on to hos brother, much to his annoyance.

"Maybe we should just call this off." said Fluttershy, "Not sure about the rest of you guys, but I'm really hungry…" she said the last word as she gazed up at a single in tact apple hanging from a tree. Drool dripped from her mouth before she gulped and snapped herself out of it.

"Oh, Fluttershy, it'll be okay." Rarity said in encouragement, "Don't forget, darling, we're all in this together. Right Korra?…Korra?"

Now it was Korra who was drooling as she gazed at the apple. Mako snapped his fingers in front of her face, which snapped her right out of it.

"What?"

"You zoned out." he said, "You feeling okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine!" she said defensively, "Will you stop pestering me?" Korra realized her outburst, which really was out of context. Korra immediately regretted her actions, "I'm so sorry. I guess I'm a little hungry too. Let's just find this thing and get it over with."

Korra walked on ahead, while the others briefly shared worried looks before following her as well. Fluttershy flew up to the Avatar. "Korra, are you still mad about what happened yesterday?"

Korra stopped and spoke sweetly to the pony, "No, sweetie. I'm not mad."

"I still don't know why I bit you. It's so not like me."

"You were probably stressed from everything that happened. Don't worry about it."

"Does everybody have their signals?" Applejack asked.

Rarity and Twilight used their horns to create magic beams in the sky in the same symbols as their cutie marks. Pinkie Pie took out a flashlight, which she held with her bang, and shined a signal with balloons identical to her cutie mark. Bolin and Asami both had flashlights, Asami's depicted the Future Industries Logo while Bolin's was that of the Earth Kingdom emblem.

"Now remember, only use the signal if you see somethin' suspicious."

Both Bolin and Pinkie saluted, "Got it!"

"Something suspicious…" Pinkie Pie said. The two got started right away in spotting anything suspicious at all. Pinkie Pie noticed Fluttershy sniffing an apple. She pointed the flashlight at the pegasus, startling her.

"_Whatcha doin'?!"_

Flutteshy shook her head rapidly, as if she had been in a daze. She galloped away while Pinkie Pie placed her flashlight back into her mane, while eying Fluttershy suspiciously.

Applejack stopped at the entrance of a picket fence, "Alright, now everybody split up. We'll each patrol our own row of the orchard. Whoever or_what_ever's destroyin' my apples has gotta be here somewhere."

The ponies, teens and dragon each split apart from one another to search for the mysterious creature. Mako, however, spotted where Korra was heading and inconspicuously followed her.

(~)

Korra walked around the orchard, looking for any signs of the creature. She heard a twig break and spun around with fire daggers at the ready.

"Easy, it's just me!"

Korra lowered her defenses once she realized it was just the firebender. "Mako? What are you doing? A.J. said to split up."

"I know, I just wanted to mark sure you were alright."

"Mako, I know you're protective, but I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I mean. You've been acting strange ever since Fluttershy bit you, which in of itself is strange."

"Will you just give it a rest, already? I told you, I'm-AH!" Korra never got to finish her sentence. She clenched her stomach, getting down on her knees and Mako rushed to her aid.

"Korra!"

The Avatar groaned, her skin turning pale. "So…hungry…"

She must be suffering from low blood sugar. Mako gently placed her beside a tree and went in search for something. He spotted and apple from a second tree and quickly took it.

"Here, I found…Korra?" once he turned around, Korra was gone. She was nowhere in sight. "Korra? Korra!"

(~)

Fluttershy continued down her path across the orchard. "I have a bad feeling about this. A _really_ bad feeling about this…" her eyes caught sight of a bright apple hanging from a tree. Suddenly, her once teal eyes began to change color to a blood red. She gazed upon the fruit, mesmerized by its appetizing appearance.

"That apple... It looks...so juicy... and sweet…"

(~)

"Korra? Where are you?"

Suddenly, a flash of brown swooped down and stood in front of Mako. The figure was partly shadowed as it snarled at him. The creature moved in closer and Mako could make out its body shape. It was the body of a human, but had claws on booths its hands and feet, huge wings and piercing red eyes. Once the moonlight shined on the figure, Mako immediately recognized who it was.

"K…Korra?"

It was indeed Korra! Somehow she had now turned…into a half-bat creature! Her hair was messy, her pants were torn to reveal her clawed feet, and her hands had long sharp claws and bat wings were on her head. Her once beautiful eyes were now piercing red.

Mako didn't know what to do now, he couldn't fight Korra. He didn't have to when the creature lunged forward but Mako jumped away in time. However, it was not him she was aiming after…but the apple he had found. She bit on the fruit, revealing her long vampire fangs and sucked the fruit dry. She spun around to face Mako, who was still unsure on what to do next. All she did was snarl and flew off into the night. Mako quickly got up and ran to find his friends.

(~)

Pinkie Pie and Bolin suddenly heard something run across the trees. "What was that?!" Pinkie Pie asked.

Bolin gasped, "Look!" he pointed towards a rotten apple, splattered on the ground, completely dry of juice.

Pinkie Pie inspected it closely before exclaiming, "Suspicious!" she giggled, "It's pony signal time!"

Somehow, someway, her bang came to life and too out her flashlight. But before she could use her signal, the same figure ran past them again, hidden in the shadows. Bolin yelped in fear and grabbed Pinkie Pie into his arms while he trembled.

(~)

Rarity hatted having to walk around a scary orchard at night. She saw a shadow past through the ground. "Who's there?" she asked.

Above her head, she saw what appeared to be some kind of large figure flying above her head. As large as one of her human friends.

"Oh, well, there's obviously no need to worry about that shadowy figure overhead... " then, the same figure swooped over her once more. With her horn, Rarity levitated the water from her waterskin and readied herself. "Alright, whatever you are…bring it!"

She spotted something rustling in the bushes and her eyes narrowed in determination. She galloped ahead, water whip in tow, and hurled the water at her opponent.

"OW!"

Rarity stopped and slid to a halt. "Huh? Wait a second. I recognize that voice." The figure stood up, rubbing his head from the powerful water attack. "Mako? Where did you come from?"

"I was trying to find you guys. It's about Korra!"

"Where is she?"

Before he could reply, the figure flew above them once more. "Maybe we should pick a better place to talk."

"Agreed. Let's go find Rainbow Dash."

(~)

Rainbow Dash was laser shaper focused as she hovered around the orchard. She then spotted a strange animal-like shadow fly right above her.

"Uh… who's there?" the wind blew on the levees and Rainbow caught sight of something from a few feet away.

"Answer me or you'll regret it!" but despite her warning, the figure did not respond. "Fine, have it your own way!" with fire in her hooves, Rainbow speeded towards the figure and began attacking it, "Take that, you, you, you... scarecrow…?"

Her opponent turned out to be nothing but hey and some old clothing, which was now singed with small flames. Then, another figure flew overhead, this one being much larger than the previous one. There was definitely something among them.

(~)

Asami and Twilight heard the owls hooting in the distance but then they spotted Applejack's signal up above. A light with three apples.

The two reached the country pony, who had her flashlight standing straight on the ground, her mouth and eyes wide open in baffled shock.

"Applejack, what is it?" Asami asked until she looked at what Applejack was looking at and her eyes and mouth two widened.

Twilight was at a loss for words when the others arrived as well. Mako and Rarity were the last ones to arrive.

"Guys! Thank goodness! We-" Mako cut himself short once he saw what they were all looking at.

Hanging from a tree branch were not one, but two figures, wrapped up like cocoons. Pinkie PIe hung onto the branch, also upside down, showing the flashlight at the two creatures.

"Suspicious!"

The first, smaller, creature opened up its wings to reveal itself as….Fluttershy! Now a bat-pony! Her yellow coat was now darker in color, her eyes were red and her mane was messy. Her cutie mark was now three pink bats instead of butterflies and she had two sharp fangs in her mouth and her once feathery wings were now bat wings. The creature next to her was the now bat-Korra. The two hissed and snarled at the ponies.

Fluttershy's tongue stuck out and she sucked the juice out of an apple. Korra did the same with another apple nearby. Pinkie Pie tried to get their attention.

"Fluttershy? Korra? Yoo-hoo!"

Both the bat pony and Avatar hissed at Pinkie, causing her to fall from the branch.

"That's not Flutter_shy_…" Rarity gasped, "That's Flutter_bat_!"

"And Korra!" Bolin began, "She's turned into….Korra_Bat_!…..yeah, doesn't really cary the same drama, does it?"

"We've gotta get them down from there!" Twilight stated.

Asami shoved Mako forward, "Try talking to her!"

"Me?!"

"No, Amon. Yes you!"

Mako gulped and tried to talk to the now vampire pony and woman. "Uh…Korra, Fluttershy, could you guys maybe come down so we can talk?"

"And, please, do stop being vampire bats." said Rarity.

However, the two simply hissed in response before sucking up more apples. Rainbow Dash flew up to the two to try and knock some sense into them both. "Korra! Fluttershy! It's me, Rainbow Dash! Why don't you cut the bat act and come on down?!"

Fluttershy hissed as she opened up her wings and slapped Rainbow Dash yelped as she spun in mid air before stoping, looking surprised at Fluttershy's brute strength.

"Whoa! Maybe we should just let them come down when they're ready."

"Look out!" Asami exclaimed before she and the others ducked down when the two bat creatures flew over them and into the sky.

Pinkie Pie started to panic. "Giant bats on the loose! _Run for your lives!" _The terrified pony began digging a tunnel when Twilight walked up.

"Pinkie Pie, calm down!" Twilight turned her head back to the two bat hybrids, hanging upside down in another tree. "See? They're back on the… branch."

"They're just biding their time! Waiting for the right moment to pounce!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, "Pinkie Pie, bats don't eat ponies. Not even vampire bats."

"But, maybe vampire _ponies_ eat other ponies!"

Bolin screamed in terror, "Ah! That means a human vampire eats other humans! I'm not taking any chances! Scoot over, sister!" he jumped into the hole with Pinkie Pie and used his earthbending, while Pinkie use her bang (now being used as a drill) to dig a deeper tunnel.

"How did all of this happen?" Asami asked.

"I think this was actually our fault." Mako said with regret.

"_Our_ fault?" Rainbow asked.

"No, I think he's right." said Twilight.

"And how'd you figure that?" Applejack asked.

Twilight then used her magic to create a square image-like hologram as a use of demonstration. In it appeared images of the bats, herself and Fluttershy while Twilight explained the situation.

"Okay, so this is me, these are the bats, and this is Fluttershy doing her Stare." the image showed a sonar-like image appearing out of Fluttershy, demonstrating her Stare's effect." The spell was supposed to go right onto the bats like this, but somehow the spell must have backfired." the image showed the Twilight figure casting her spell and the bats glowed, which then reflected onto Fluttershy, turning her into a bat pony. "It took the vampire fruit bats' desire to be vampire fruit bats and transferred that desire into Fluttershy." the images disappeared.

"But then how did Korra turn into a bat?" Rarity asked, "That's what I don't understand."

"When Fluttrshy bit her!" Mako stated, "It must have caused the same desire Fluttershy had in her system to become transferred into Korra."

Spike was shocked, "Wow! I've heard of girlfriends being like monsters but this is ridiculous!"

"C'mon!" said Twilight, "We'll reverse the spell and make it right!"

The ground opened up and both Bolin and Pinkie popped out. "Then what are we waiting for?" said Pinkie Pie, "Let's save Fluttershy and Korra before those things eat us all!"

"Or bites us!" Bolin added

The Flutterbat and Korrabat hovered over them and swooped down.

"Hit the deck!" cried Rainbow Dash.

Everyone ducked in cover when the creatures flew above them, screaming in terror. Bolin pointed forward, "Follow those bats!"

The group ran off to seek their friends, not realizing they both had landed on a tree branch. They groaned and hissed as their ears began to turn sharp and bat-like. Korra licked her lips, her hunger was still alive. As was Fluttershy's.

(~)

"I can't believe we lost them!" said Rarity.

The friends searched nearly half the night and still no sign of their friends. Twilight was growing more and more worried. "Oh, Korra, Fluttershy, where are you?"

Asami then heard something hissing and turned around, "Found them!"

Korra and Fluttershy swooped down once more, this time landing in front of them. Fluttershy hissed at Applejack while Korra hissed at Asami. The heiress was backed up against a tree as she tried to reason with the vampire girl. Though, do to her dislike of bats in general, that was not going to be easy.

"Uh, hey Korra. Who's a good bat creature? Who's a good, pretty little bat creature?" Asami winced when Korra hissed angrily at her, "Did I mention pretty?-AH!" Asami ducked when Korra came hurling at her, only to realize it was the apple on the tree she was really after before taking off once more.

Fluttershy closed in on Applejack. "Fluttershy? Look, I know you're still in there so please. Please snap out of it?"

But the bat pony only hissed and went after the apple on the tree behind Applejack. Both the bats tossed the now juiceless fruits into the ground. "If they keep this up, your whole crop will be gone in no time!" said Rainbow Dash.

"That's the least of my worries." Applejack said sadly as she watched the two bat creatures fly into the night, "I just want my friends back."

"We can't get them back unless we corner them and reverse the spell!" Mako stated.

"It's no use!" Twilight said in despair, "I think the only way we're gonna catch them is if we find a way to lure them closer to us."

"But even if we can, how are we gonna get them to stay still long enough for you to do your reverse spell?"

"Aww, if only we had Fluttershy to do her Stare on the Flutterbat and Korrabat." said Pinkie Pie.

It was then that Twilight got a brilliant idea, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Bolin asked.

"We get Fluttershy to do her stare!"

"How are you going to do that without getting bitten?"

"You'll see."

(~)

This was the last chance to save their friends. Twilight levitated a large object wrapped in a cloth and placed it on the ground.

"Okay, let's get our friends back." said the alicorn in a determined tone.

Rainbow Dash removed the cloth to reveal the object was in fact Applejack's prize winning apple.

"Action stations!"

Everyone got into their positions and Applejack took a knife in her mouth. Rainbow looked at her with sympathy, "So much for having the winning apple in the Appleloosa State Fair, huh?"

As sad as it was, Applejack knew this sacrifice was needed to save her dear friends. She would never forgive herself if she allowed them to be bats forever.

She sliced the side of the apple, allowing the sweet smelling juice to come pouring out. Rainbow flapped her wings at rapid speed to spread the sweet aroma.

In no time, Fluttershy and Korra immediately caught whiff of the scent and speeded towards their juicy fruit, hissing as they did and their large bat wings flapping.

"They're coming!" Rainbow cried out.

"Now!" At Twilight signal, Mako hurled a rope at Korra, entrapping her waist as she struggled to break free. Bolin tossed another rope, capturing her right arm while Asami capture her left with another rope. The four kept the powerful bat woman at bay while the bat pony was nearing the giant apple. Applejack kicked it away and Fluttershy saw a mirror, held up by Spike, and caught sight of her own reflection.

She tried to fly away but was stopped by another mirror, held by Pinkie Pie. She tried to shake away the hypnotic effect they had on her until she was stopped again by a third mirror, held up by Rarity. Once Fluttershy was stuck in a trance of her own Stare, the Korra bat slowly stopped as well, almost as if she too was under the same spell.

Twilight quickly activated her magic and a magenta glow circled around Fluttershy. The same glow then traveled to Korra, entrapping her as well. From within, the pony and Avatar felt their bodies change. Their ears returned to normal, Korra's wings were no more, Fluttershy's cutie mark was back to butterflies and her coat as pale yellow once more. Korra lost her fangs and claws and her once torn cloths were fixed once again. Once the spell was complete, the glow dispersed into various glowing bats which traveled across the orchard, reaching the fruit bats themselves. Their desire for fruit had returned.

Fluttershy and Korra now laid on the ground. Mako quickly took Korra into his arms while the Mane Six surrounded both her and Fluttershy. The pony was the first to open her eyes, which were back to cyan color.

"Oh… where am I?"

Korra groaned and she too opened her eyes, which were blue once again. The entire group cheered happily. Their friends were back. Mako helped Korra stand up and embraced her in a spinning hug. Korra was still surprised by all of this but hugged him in return.

Applejack hugged Fluttershy, "Thank goodness you're okay! Both of ya'll" she hugged Korra's leg.

"But… what happened?" the Avatar asked.

"I can't remember anything." said Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie jumped in and explained everything….Well, kind of. "You turned into a vampire pony and Korra was a vampire Avatar!"

"What?!"

"I tried to eat ponies?!" Fluttershy asked in shock.

"I tried to eat people?!" Korra too asked in shock.

"Of course not!" Pinkie Pie said happily.

"So we weren't vampires?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes!" Pinkie replied.

"Yes we were, or yes we weren't?" Korra asked.

"Yes, you were!" Pinkie replied.

"But we didn't try and eat anyone?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes!" Pinkie replied.

"We did?!" Korra asked in shock.

"No!" Pinkie replied, shaking her head.

"I'm confused…" Fluttershy said.

"My head hurts." Korra said, while rubbing said head.

"Mine too... and I was there!" said Rarity.

(~)

The next morning, the vampire bats were now save and happy in their own part of the Apple orchard. Applejack had decided to comply with Fluttershy's previous advice and build a sanctuary for the creatures. Bolin finished hammering the sign that read "Vampire Fruit Bats" and Applejack smiled proudly.

"Looks great, Applejack." Korra said proudly, while a certain little bat rested on her shoulder, "Now the bats can have a place to call home and you'll get bigger and better apple trees for next season." the bat nuzzled against her cheek before flying off to meet his family.

"I'm real sorry I didn't take your suggestion in the first place Fluttershy." said Applejack, taking off her hat in apology.

The pegasus simply smiled, "That's okay. Everything worked out in the end. And now you can have more apples thanks to the seeds."

Rainbow Dash came in between the two, wrapping her hoof around both of them, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Applejack nodded, "Yup! More cider too."

Rainbow Dash flew up in victory, "Yea-he-heah, whoo!"

Even Asami was delighted, "Yes! Apple cider! Sweet, juicy, cider!"

"_No!_" the three teens exclaimed in union.

"No more cider for you!" Korra said sternly, "That stuff's making you loopy!"

"And that was just _one_ bottle!" said Mako, "Imagine if she had unlimited free access!"

Asami scoffed, "Please, you're exaggerating." her eyes then snapped open when she heard a bottle cap being popped off, and saw that Pinkie Pie was drinking a familiar liquid.

"Pinkie…where did you get that?"

"Oh, I've it from got my own Apple Cider stash back home."

Asami's left eye started to twitch and the rest of Team Avatar did their best to hold the crazy heiress down as she tried to snatch the bottle from Pinkie Pie.

"Just a sip! Just one!"

"Yeah, she needs an intervention." said Bolin.

(~)

At Fluttershy's cottage, Spike was writing down their latest installment into the journal. "Okay, got the part about the spell, Korra and Fluttershy turning into bats, building a sanctuary…"

"Be sure to put in there that I came to see that my short-term solution was a little short-sighted." said Applejack.

"And that you shouldn't let anypony pressure you into doing something that you don't think is right." said Fluttershy, "Sometimes you have to tell even your closest friends 'no'."

"Now, how about we celebrate our stronger than ever friendship with a nice, ripe, juicy apple?" Applejack showed everyone an apple and Korra immediately felt sick.

"Oh, no please. No more apples for at least three years."

Pinkie Pie poped in wearing fake vampire fangs, "Stand back! I vant to suck its juuuice!"

She bit onto the apple, only to have her fake fangs get stuck in it. Everyone laughed happily at the joke, now feeling their bond had grown even closer than before.

Now if only they could find a way to help Asami with her cider problem.

(~)

_"Oh, my! That certainly was a terrifying tale, wasn't it?_

_But a very important lesson to learn about peer pressure and not picking sides all willy nilly. It's always good to see the neutral side of things. Of course, this was just Korra's first time in this with just her friends. She would need to learn a lot more if she was going to use this in an even bigger situation latter on in her future._

_But you all know how that story went._

_Tune in next time for another installment of;_

Tales of Equestria!

(~)


	7. Rainbow Falls

_(Trumpets play!)_

_"Hello everypony! You're all probably wondering why I'm blowing on this trumpet. Well, that's because_

_(blows again)_

_The Equestria Games are under way!_

_But first, our speedy adrenaline queen, Rainbow Dash must get through tryouts for the aerial event! If she does, Ponyville will participate in the games!_

_Yahoo!_

_Naturally, she picked the best flyers she knew!…or, the closest she could find. Hey, you try finding a pegasus pony who can fly at the speed of sound like Rainbow Dash!_

_Anyway, while this story may seem like it's more about sports but, in reality, this is a story about Loyalty._

_Rainbow Dash is the embodiment of that Element, but what happens when she's confronted with temptation to win?_

_Let's find out"_

_*(~)*_

**Romans 10:10~**

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

*(~)*

**Rainbow Falls**

Rainbow Dash was firm and focused. She knew that there mustn't be any mistakes as she walked in front of the two pegasus ponies (and Angel Bunny, who doesn't really count) in complete commando mode.

"Alright, ponies, listen up!"

"We're all ears." said Fluttershy, standing up straight, "Right, Bulk Biceps?"

The pegasus beside her was twice her size, with a pure white coat and an anatomically bulky body with yellow hooves, a military-styled dirty blond mane, blood red eyes and two golden earrings with a barbell as a cutie mark. Unlike other pegasus ponies, his wings were so tinny they looked like hummingbird wings. It was a miracle he managed to lift himself into the sky to begin with.

"Nuh-uh! I'm all _muscles_!_Yeah!_" He demonstrated his strength by kissing his own biceps and flexing them.Constantly shouting 'Yeah!' is his most common cash-phrase.

"I like your attitude, Bulk Biceps," said Rainbow Dash, while still maintaining herself firm, "but it's gonna take more than muscles and _Yeah!_s to get us to the Equestria Games! We are the Aerial Relay team, and it's up to the three of us to make sure that we qualify at the tryouts. And do I need to remind you how much I - I mean, Ponyville, heh – wants to qualify and make it to the Games?"

"I remember." Fluttershy said, in her usual kind and caring tone, "I really, really, _really_ want to qualify for you _and_ Ponyville."

"_Bring it on!" _shouted Bulk Biceps with a flare of his nostrils.

Pinkie Pie, as always, appeared in her own time, wearing her own cheerleader's uniform, added with pom poms on her hooves and a megaphone around her neck, "Gimme a 'P' for 'Ponyville'!"

Fluttershy yelped and squatted down due to the extreme loudness as Pinkie shouted through the megaphone. "_P, Ponyville!" _but as she blew, a powerful gust of wind came shooting from the megaphone, which nearly blew Rainbow Dash away. Sometimes, Pinkie's airbending went out of control due to her uncontrollable enthusiasm. Thankfully, nopony was blow away….this time.

"_P!" _Bulk Biceps added by shouting loudly.

Once the noise died down, Fluttershy got back up, "Oh, thanks, Pinkie Pie. That was a scary- I mean, great cheer." she laughed nervously.

"Just make sure you have one ready for when we qualify for the Aerial Relay." Rainbow told the pink airbender pony.

Bulk Biceps shouted once more, "And after that, for when we win gold medals in the Equestria Games!"

"Not so fast!"

Their heads turned to see Applejack, pulling a cart filled with delicious treats, along with Avatar Korra and Asami Sato.

"If you're gonna be good, you're gonna be better with some of my apple brown bettys in ya." Applejack smiled proudly, "They're perfect."

Just when Fluttershy was about to pick one, Pinkie Pie popped out from inside the bettys, cheering her pom poms once more.

" 'P' is for 'perfect'!"

Asami was startled but Korra was simply laughing. Rainbow Dash face palmed herself when the two humans approached her. Korra squatted down to her level first. "So, you excited for the tryouts R.D?"

"You know it, A.K.!" the pony beamed, "And I can't wait for you to see Rainbow Falls! I haven't been there since I was a filly."

"Why do they call it Rainbow Falls anyway?" Asami asked. The heiress was surprised when the two athletes started to laugh. "What, what did I say?"

Korra got up and wiped away a tear that escaped her eye when she laughed, "Oh, Asami. You've still got a lot to learn in terms of how a 'magical world' really works. Rainbow Falls is a town where actual rainbow-colored waterfalls pour down from the clouds. It's one of the most popular destinations for yearly events. Next to Canterlot and Manehattan."

Asami blinked twice in surprise, Korar sure knew a lot about Equestria. If only she would place more of that effort into her airbending training. Speaking of which.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck Rainbow Dash." said the heiress.

"You sure you can't come?" Rainbow asked, her ears lowering in disappointment.

"Sorry, I'm already behind on my work as it is."

"It won't be the same without you around."

Asami squatted down and petted her head, "Hey, you'll be fine. Don't forget who beat me at a satomobile race."

Rainbow smiled proudly at the memory, "Yeah. I was pretty awesome." Asami chuckled as she stood back up. "I'll be sure to tell you everything that happens."

"It's a deal."

The three hear incredibly loud chewing, only to see it was Bulk Biceps eating on the bettys while Fluttershy chewed more quietly. Rainbow opened up her wings, "Well, time to get back to work." she flew back to her team, getting their attention.

"Alright, team! Show me what you got! Put some bend into those knees!" the two bended the knees, "Flap those wings!" they flapped their wings at her command, "And I want to see all four hooves off the ground on the count of three!" she smiled before counting really fast, "One two three!"

Bulk Biceps grunted as he and Fluttershy flew flew up into the sky while Korra and Asami watched. The heiress had her hands clapped close to her chest while Korra had her fingers crossed. Literally.

"Don't forget to breathe while you're up there!" said Rainbow Dash and Bulk started wheezing.

Because he screamed so dramatically when he flew up he exhaled a large portion of his breath, causing him to lose altitude and drag Fluttershy along with him.

The ground literally shoo, causing Applejack, Korra and Asami to briefly fly up two feet of the ground when Bulk and Fluttershy landed…on top of Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie popped out from the pile, cheering, "'P' is for, uhh... 'pain'?"

Rainbow Dash sighed in dismay while both the human girls winced at the sight. "Keep saying your prayers." Korra said to the heiress, "We're gonna need a lot of them." they both winced again as Pinkie tried to get the trapped Rainbow Dash from the gigantic white pony.

"A _lot_." the heiress added.

(~)

A few days latter, the Mane Six, Bulk Biceps and three of Team Avatar were in the train heading to Rainbow Falls, for which Bolin was reading a brochure about it.

"Man! I can't believe it!" the earthbender said in excitement while his fire ferret rested on his shoulder, "Actual rainbow water falls! How awesome is that!"

"Wait till you see them up close." said Rainbow Dash.

Just the, two pegasus ponies approached the two. One was a female with light cyan coat, blue eyes and yellow mane and tail. Her name was Helia. The second was a male pegasus pony name Thunderlane, his coat was dark grey and had a two toned blue mane and tail.

"Good luck, Rainbow Dash!" said Helia, "Sorry we couldn't fly with you on the Aerial Relay, but the air sprinters needed us too."

"Too bad we can only compete in one event." said Thunderlane with a sigh, "But, rules are rules." As the two ponies walked out, they smiled at the Avatar, "We're supper glad you could come, Avatar Korra."

"Yeah, having a hero around sure will be great inspiration." Helia said in admiration, making the Avatar blush bashfully.

"Awww, that's so sweet. But if anything, you ponies are the real inspiration. I can't wait to see you guys fly out there."

The two pegasus ponies bowed in respect before walking into the next train cart while Korra, Mako and Twilight waved.

"Good luck!" said the princess before turning to Rainbow Dash, "It was nice of you to be part of the team that doesn't have... uh…" she took a moment to speculate Bulk Biceps's tiny wings. Seriously, those things were practically no bigger than walnuts. It was amazing this pony managed to get at least five feet off of the ground, "The strongest flyers." she added, trying to sound as polite as she could.

"Nothing nice about it." said Rainbow Dash in her usual proud tone.

"Then why did you pick them?" Mako asked, "If you knew they were not the best, why-"

"Chill-lax, Mako." Rainbow said while waving her hoof, "I know that I can pick up the slack for anypony. With her airbending, Fluttershy's gotten waaaaay faster, and Bulk Biceps is the strongest pony there is. Plus, we did train at the Wonder Bolts Academy together, remember?"

"Didn't he get kicked out for bitting someone's tail?" Mako asked while arching an eyebrow.

"He thought it was taffy. Relax, with me on the team, we'll qualify. I'm sure of it."

Knowing the arrogant pegasus was not going to listen, Mako gave up, rising his hands up in surrender, "If you say so, R.D."

Twilight wrapped her hoof around Rainbow's shoulder, "Ponyville is very lucky to have you."

**"**Yeah, I'm pretty awesome."

"Yes you are, Rainbow Dash." Korra stated with a proud grin, "Anypony would be crazy not to let you guys compete in the Equestria Games."

"I knew I could count on you, Korra."

Fluttershy, who was practically getting squashed by Bulk Biceps's enormous size, strained and gasped for air as she held the Ponyville flag in her hoof.

**"**I am so proud to be representing Ponyville." she said while still straining. Seeing her struggle, Bolin pulled her right out, setting her free.

"It's got to be a real honor to even try out for the Games." Bolin said, tightening his fists in anticipation, "I'm already getting excited too!"

"I just hope I don't let anypony down." Fluttershy said.

"Aww, of course you won't Fluttershy." Bolin said sweetly, building up his friend's confidence.

**"**We'll make them proud!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed so loudly, it made both Fluttershy's and Bolin's hair bellow in the wind of his breath, and Pabu was nearly blown right off of Bolin's shoulder. Then, to his surprise, the large while pegasus was shoved aside when Pinkie Pie came out cheering and waving her pom poms.

**"**'P' is for 'proud'! We're gonna be the best fans anypony has ever seen!"

The stylish Rarity popped up from behind her, "Ooh. Can't wait to see what everypony else is wearing, even though I am absolutely sure they won't be better than the Ponyville uniforms I'm designing for the Equestria Games."

Applejack appeared beside her, "And we _will_ make it to the Games once everypony carbo-loads on my apple brown betties."

"I can't wait!" Pinkie PIe exclaimed once she unexpectedly re-appeared behind Mako and Korra, startling the too. "Too bad Asami couldn't come"

At the mention of her name, both Mako and Korra shared saddened looks.

Korra slightly hunched in disappointment. While the heiress didn't show any direct signs of hatred toward her, that still didn't mean Korra didn't catch at least a tint of uncertainty whenever Asami was around her. She wanted to be friends, because she knew Asami needed them. She didn't know if it was because of Mako, or maybe it was. Maybe the heiress was still a little jealous of the two. Still, she hoped one day that barrier between them would break down completely at some point in the near future, because right now it still seemed to be standing a bit. She couldn't explain it but, she knew there was something awaiting her and all of her friends. She just couldn't explain just what it was or what it would be, so far it's been just a feeling. Maybe time will give her the answer she seeks.

Korra decided to shrug the topic off for now, because today was suppose to be a great day for her dear friend Rainbow Dash. Bolin pressed his face against the window and his eyes widened in wonder.

"We're here! We're here!"

Mako looked into the direction where his younger brother was looking at, as did Korra and her eyes sparkled, reflecting the stunning colors before her.

"Rainbow Falls."

Rainbow Falls was just as the name implied; a lovely town resting on a high mountain with Rainbow colored waterfalls transcending from the high clouds, landing into the stream of the town bellow. One of the many things Korra loved about this world was the new surprises around every corner.

The train came to a halt and the group of friends exited, only to be more impressed by the beauty of the place. The small houses were so simple and welcoming, with Rainbow-themed decorations all around. The houses had murals depicting Rainbows, umbrellas underneath tables outside a small cafe, even Rainbow arcs over the roofs of the house. Ponies were everywhere, either walking around, greeting one another, or simply sitting on benches beside the rainbow-colored stream that was connected to the rainbow waterfall that fell from above.

Mako could hardly believe his eyes, "That's…a lot of colors." he said, his jaw practically hitting the floor. Even his brother was speechless.

"This places is…Amazing! I wonder if the food is rainbow-themed."

It didn't take long for the Ponies to get to training. The competitors were all gathered in the tryout grounds, where numerous other pegasi and several griffons were gathered. Bolin couldn't help his curiosity, these ponies may be cute and adorable creatures, but they were strong. He was surprised to see one lift up a barbell with his hooves. He was especially intrigued by the griffons that were there as well. They certainly looked as Twilight had described before; strong half-eagle half-lion creatures with powerful claws, large wings and shaper beaks. He walked up to one male one and began asking some questions.

"So, do griffons have like their own kingdom, or do they live under Celestia's rule like ponies do? Also, if you guys can tryout, does that mean other winged creatures that aren't ponies can too? What about dragons, have they ever tried out?"

The male griffon stopped his workout and glared in annoyance at Bolin, "Kid, go home."

Bolin realized he had overstayed his welcome and walked away. Meanwhile, Korra, Mako, Bulk Biceps and the Mane Six made their way across various pegasus ponies working out. Korra was startled when she heard two ponies call out her name.

"That's Avatar Korra!"

She turned her head and saw two ponies, one male and one female. The male was brown in color with dark brown spiky hair, blue eyes and a crescentic moon cutie mark. The female pegasus was orange with puffy pink-candy-colored mane and tail with a swirled candy as her cutie mark.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really you!" said the male pegasus, Crescent Moon.

"Oh, well, I'm mostly here to support my friend Rainbow Dash and the Ponyville team."

"No way, you're friends with Rainbow Dash? She's an awesome flyer!"

"I heard that she's flying the last third of the relay," said the female pegasus, Orange Swirl, "which means everypony else is gonna have to be _way_ ahead to beat her!"

Korra couldn't help but smile. As proud of her talents as she may be, she was even prouder of her friend's accomplishments. "You got that right." Korra said proudly while crossing her arms, "I don't think there's anypony else who could measure up to Rainbow's skills."

"Oh, the Wonderbolts!"

Korra's attention shifted towards the sky when Crescent Moon pointed upwards. Rainbow and the others looked up as well as saw them.

The Wonderbolts themselves.

Korra has heard about them from Rainbow Dash, but this was the first time she has seen them in person. They were just as Rainbow described them. Fast, agile, and downright, undeniably…awesome!

Mako and Bolin were jaw dropped at the sight. These three ponies had the speed and agility as well as the teamwork of a well oiled machine. Bolin was especially ecstatic to see them.

"Whoa! Mako, do you see that? It's the Wonderbolts!"

"Yeah bro, I see them."

Korra was still wide eyed by the sight, "Wow. Hey, aren't they flying for Cloudsdale?"

"That's right," said Orange Swirl, "Cloudsdale will _definitely_ qualify. They're the best flyers _ever_."

With the way they were flying, Korra had to agree. The three famous ponies in Equestria landed, sporting their matching blue jumpsuits and goggles. Korra approached her friends as the orange female Wonderbolt, Spitfire, removed her goggles.

"And the game is on!" she then spotted the two legged creature and she gasped, "Whoa, are you Avatar Korra?"

"The one and only." Korra said, "It's a real honor to meet the Wonderbolts in person. Rainbow Dash has told me so much about you. Let me guess; You're Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and you must be Soarin."

The blue hair pegasus removed his goggles and smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth, "Wow, the Avatar knows who we are! So what brings you here?"

"I'm just here to support Ponyville, being represented by Rainbow Dash's team. Also known as; The best flyer in Equestria!"

The statement made the said pegasus blush, "Aww, Korra. You're embarrassing me."

"Well it's true!"

To her surprise, Mako took her by the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Korra, don't oversell it."

Soarin rose his hoof up into the air in enthusiasm, "Hah, nice to see there's some real competition here!"

Fleetfoot walked up to Rainbow Dash, placing a hoof on her shoulder, "Two more days of practice, then we'll see you in the air, Rainbow Dash! If you're lucky."

The trio of pegasus galloped away for more training, leaving Rainbow Dash with a content smile on her face, followed by a content sigh. "The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one, and we'll be winners just as soon as we practice! Right team?"

"Right." said sweet Fluttershy.

Bulk Biceps exclaimed, "_Yeah!"_

"Hooray!" Pinkie Pie blew on her party hooter and tossed confetti.

Twilight looked indifferent for a moment, but when Rainbow looked at her, she realized she needed to show her enthusiasm as well. "And, um, I'm with her! Hooray!"

Seeing his silence, Korra nudged Mako's arm, "Uh, me too! Hooray!"

Their attention shifted to a duo of cheerleaders who were cheering for the Cloudsdale team. "Give us some clouds! Give us some dale! And what do you get? Cloudsdale! Woo-hoo!"

Pinkie Pie gasped, her blue eyes gleaming, "Where can I get pompoms like those?!"

(~)

Korra, Mako and Bolin watched from the sidelines with Twilight Sparkle as Rainbow Dash instructed to her flyers, "So, do I need to remind you of what our goal is here?"

Bulk Biceps looked uncertain, "Uh, maybe?"

"We want to qualify! We need to be one of the first four teams to cross the finish line! Bulk Biceps, you're the first flyer, so let me see you flap it!"

Bulk Biceps grunted as he flapped his tinny wings. They looked like hummingbird wings. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast this time, for he was easily brought down when Applejack's brown betties suddenly hit his chin.

"What the?" Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that it was Applejack who had kicked the pastry into the air.

"Sorry! Got the idea from them, but…"

She turned her head towards two pegasus ponies, wearing chefs hats, and were tossing some cupcakes into a catapult, unleashing them into the air chanting; "Hooves down! Cakes up!"

Fleetfoot and Spitfire zoomed in from the sky and managed to catch the two cupcakes into their mouths and continued their training.

"…It looks like they got better aim."

Rainbow Dash shook it off and turned back to her team, with a horseshoe shaped object with a cloud on it, resting on her hoof, "Okay, the passing of the baton needs to be seamless." she took Biceps's hoof and placed the horseshoe on it, "You shouldn't miss a wing beat or drop a hair in altitude! And whatever you do, don't let go of it!"

Fluttershy flew put to Bulk Biceps, "Are you really, really, _really_ sure you're ready? I mean, I don't want to take it if you're not super sure."

"Ready!" Biceps handed Fluttershy the baton, for which she took…only to suddenly feel her nose twitch and sneeze, causing her to unleash a powerful gust of wind from her mouth and to accidentally drop the baton. It landed on the ground, where Rarity found it and took it away.

"Ponyville could do so much better. I'll be back with a freshly painted one in no time!"

"We were _using_ that!" Rainbow exclaimed, "And it's not like anypony else has color-coordinated horseshoes or anything!"

And, to her surprise, and disappointment, Spitfire handed Fleetfoot an actual color coordinated horseshoe baton before flying off. The Wonderbolts were doing far better than her team was. The rainbow-haired pegasus flapped her wings and landed near Korra, Mako and Twilight.

"I guess _some_ ponies do."

"Some ponies do what?" Twilight asked.

"Have a better chance of qualifying and going to the Equestria Games than others."

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." Korra said in reassurance, "Just keep trying. Remember, you're their inspiration. You've got this."

With those words, Rainbow's motivation returned, "You know something Korra; You're right! I've got this!" the now much happier pegasus pony zoomed upwards, ready to help her team win.

And so it went, Rainbow Dash was determined now more than ever to help her team.

**Rainbow Dash;**

"Aright you two."

_Let's get down to business_

_To reach_

_The goal_

_When I asked for stallions_

_How did I get_

_The foals?_

_You're the saddest bunch I've ever met_

**Fluttershy;**

"That's kind of mean."

**Rainbow; **

"Trying to be dramatic."

_But you can bet!_

_Before we're through_

_Ponies I'll_

_Make a champ_

_Out of you!_

Rainbow Dash did her best to get Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps into shape, she knew they had potential, she wouldn't have chosen them if she didn't think they did. Only issue was, they just needed to channel that potential in order to win.

However, Bulk Biceps's tiny wings and huge body build served as an issue for them. When practicing through the rings, he couldn't get through them.

**Rainbow;**

_Tranquil as a forest_

_But in fire within_

_Once you find your center_

_You are sure to win_

Fluttershy was a fast flyer now, however, she would sometimes go a bit too fast and had a hard time slowing down

_You're got the skills, I know you do_

_But you need to make em show_

_Somehow I'll_

_Make a champ_

_Out of you_

So far, the progress was a tie between getting better and getting…well, less better. Korra, Mako and Twilight watched the events unfold. Korra was beginning to realize the error of Rainbow Dash's mistake. She really should have though this through. She felt so much sympathy for the three ponies.

**Fluttershy; **

_I'm never gonna catch my breath_

_Say goodbye to those who knew me_

**Bulk Biceps;**

_Boy, was I a fool at school for cutting gym_

**Twilight; **

_This has got me worried sick_

**Korra;**

_Pray the universe takes pity_

**Mako;**

_Now I really hate to say; "I told you so"_

**Twilight; **

"You're not helping!"

**Rainbow;**

_We must be light as a flying lemur_

_I must calmer than most by far_

_Keep our eyes on the prize_

_For sure_

_Oh, yeah!_

_And soon they will see_

_Our team rise up and soar!_

_We must be light as a flying lemur_

_I must calmer than most by far_

_Keep our eyes on the prize_

_For sure_

_And soon they will see_

_Our team rise and soar!_

(~)

Fluttershy gained more control of her airbending while Bulk Biceps managed to keep his balance well enough in the air, but despite this small progress, Rainbow couldn't stop comparing them to the Wonderbolts. It seemed, no matter what they did, they seemed to do it better.

"They're getting better." said Mako as he and Korra approached Rainbow Dash. But the pony lowered her ears in disappointment.

"Yeah, but not enough."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked, "Okay sure, you've still got a few bugs to work out but, overall I think you've got a pretty good chance."

"She's right." Mako said sincerely, "I have to admit, I'm impressed. I never should have doubted you."

"Still, if we're gonna win, we're going to have to amp up our game."

Mako then tapped his chin in thought, "You know, when Bolin and I first became pro-benders, we watched other experienced teams and grab inspiration and references to their moves to apply to ours."

Rainbow's ears perked up and her wings flapped excitedly. She flew up to Mako, grabbing his face with her hooves, "Mako, you're a genius!" she spontaneously kissed his forehead and flew off, taking Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps with her, leaving the two teens looking at one another in confusion.

"What did she mean by that?" he asked. Korra simply shrugged her shoulders.

(~)

Spitfire was receiving a massage and resting while Soarin was practicing his ariel tricks and speeds for the qualifiers. Rainbow Dash turned to her teammates, "Watch and learn. The Cloudsdales are Wonderbolts, and Wonderbolts are the best flyers there are. And my personal heroes. So, maybe you can learn something."

This was something she was hoping for. If Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps watched the professionals in action, it might amp up their game. They watched as Soarin, well soared though the sky, zipping in through the rainbow-colored floating rings in the sky with ease. Rainbow Dash lifted both Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps's chins, making them look upwards.

"_Please_ learn something?"

From down bellow, Fleetfoot gave Soarin a 'pep talk'. "C'mon, Soarin, pick up the pace! You can do better than that!"

"I sure hope so." said Spitfire. There was no way they were going to fluke in representing Cloudsdale. They were an elite flying team, and they needed to maintain that tittle. At any cost.

The Cloudsdale cheerleaders waved their pom palms as they cried out; "Practice, practice, yay, practice!"

Soarin was briefly distracted by the cute ponies that he hit his wing against one of the rainbow rings.

"Whoa!"

Spitfire and Fleetfoot watched in horror as their teammate began plummeting to the ground. Korra and Mako heard the cries for help and gasped when they witnessed Soarin falling down.

"Aaaaah! Help!"

Acting fast, Rainbow zoomed in at top speed, catching the injured Wonderbolt right before he hit the ground.

"Gotcha!"

Rainbow landed Soarin safely on the ground, he inspected his wing and smiled at Rainbow Dash. "Thanks. You saved me."

"It was nothing."

Everypony, as well as the two human teens, approached and cheered for Rainbow's heroism.

"Awe-some!" Fleetfoot exclaimed.

"As good as any Wonderbolt!" said Spitfire

Korra hugged the little pony, "Rainbow Dash, that was amazing!"

"I'm so proud of you." said Fluttershy, "You scooped Soarin out of the sky and brought him down to the ground and now, now he's okay. At least, I hope he's okay." she turned to Soarin, "Are you okay?"

Soarin attempted to move his wing, the wing he had hit before falling, and grunted as he tried to move it. "Uh, my wing hurts, but I-I'm sure it'll be okay by the competition."

Korra walked over and inspected his wing. "Does this hurt?" she asked when she tapped his wing only a tiny bit, which resulted in Soarin wincing in pain.

"YEAOWCH!"

"Yep, your wing is sprained." hearing this, Spitfire and Fleetfoot gasped in shock. "You're going to have to keep yourself grounded for a while." Korra said.

Siren wailing was heard and a Pony medic came with a gurney for Soarin. Korra and Mako assisted the pony on board and he smiled in gratitude, as well as at Rainbow Dash.

"You're the best, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow couldn't help but blush, and feel butterflies in her stomach, due to the compliment. "Ah, it was nothin'. But, if you feel like talking about how great I am, don't let me stop you!" she said as the pony medic took Soarin away to the medical room. The others flinched when Bulk Biceps suddenly zipped on in and exclaimed loudly,

"'P' is for Rainbow Dash!"

Fluttershy whispered in his ear, "Um, 'Rainbow Dash' actually starts with an 'R'."

"Never mind!"

"Tough break to lose a teammate right before the tryouts." Korra said to the Wonderbolts, "His wing should be better real soon, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I bet I can speed up the process with my waterbending."

However, the two female pegasi suddenly flashed each other some very suspicious grins. They smiled at Rainbow Dash, "You know, you grew up in Cloudsdale." said Fleetfoot.

"So that means you _could_ fly with us." said Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash and Korra both looked at each other skeptically and then back at two, "Fly?"

"Uh, we mean _practice_." said Fleetfoot, "You could practice with us until Soarin's better."

"What do you say? Wanna be our third?"

Before Rainbow Dash could answer, Korra shook her head, "Whoa, whoa, back up. You want Rainbow Dash to replace Soarin? I just said he was going to get better."

"Yeah, but we wouldn't want to pressure him into getting back on his hooves. He needs his rest after that nasty takedown. Besides, we're not asking her to join us permanently, but we really do need a third member in order to get our routine down."

Korra looked down at the ground rather skeptically, "I guess I can understand, kind of, but Rainbow's team needs her in order to qualify for the games."

"She's right." said Rainbow Dash, "Don't wanna be too worn out by the time the race comes around."

"We put you through some pretty intense workouts at the Wonderbolt Academy and you handled those just fine." said Spitfire, still smiling.

"Heh, I _did_ kick some major tail at the Academy." but then, Rainbow Dash remembered what Mako had said before hand:

_"When Bolin and I first became pro-benders, we watched other experienced teams and grab inspiration and references to their moves to apply to ours."_

The rainbow pony then dragged Korra by the arm, away from the two Wonderbolts, "Could you give us a second?" Rainbow led Korra a few feet away so the other two could not hear them.

"Rainbow, you can't seriously be thinking about this. After all the hard work you guys did?"

"Just hear me out. We're talking about flying with the best flyers in Equestria. They've got the experience that my team needs."

"Okay." Korra crossed her arms.

"So, if I practice with them, I can use the stuff I learned to help out my team! I did want them to learn something from them, so this is our chance!"

Korra arched an eyebrow at the pony, she could sense Rainbow's ambition but she still and wasn't a hundred percent sure about this, and sadly, Rainbow could sense it.

"You think it's a bad idea, don't you?"

Korra didn't want to pressure her friend into doing the right thing, and she did seem to still be dedicated to her team. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she did learn from the best.

"I just have a bad feeling about this is all."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, it's just that-"

"Come on! This is Ponyville's chance to get into the Equestria Games! You know how much this means to me."

Korrs most certainly did know how much it meant to Rainbow Dash. Maybe she should give her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, if it _is_ just practice and nothing else, and Soarin will be up again soon…I suppose there's no problem with-" she was interrupted when a happy Rainbow Dash hugged her.

"Thanks Korra! You're the best! Oh, and let's not tell the others, or Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Okay?"

"Sure."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash flew back to the two Wonderbolts, "Alright, I'll do it."

Spitfire chuckled in triumph, "Wise decision, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow walked off with the two pegasi, while Korra watched on with uncertainty. She hoped Rainbow would keep her head in the game here.

Then again…

(~)

For the next few days, Rainbow Dash had been training with both the Cloudsdale team and the Ponyville team. She had done her best to learn all she could from Spitfire and Fleetfoot in hopes of benefiting her team. All the while Korra had to try her hardest not to let the secret out. While she would never technically say it out loud, her behavior would give it away. She hatted keeping things from her friends, especially the others ponies, but this was to help Rainbow Dash. Or at least, she hoped it was to help her. She needed to trust her, Rainbow was a smart and clever pony after all, and so far she was keeping her head in the game. It did seem that the training was paying off. That same motivation she had with the Wonderbolts, she carried it with her own team, encouraging them to be better. Maybe this idea wasn't so bad after all.

Rainbow managed to zoom through the moving rings with ease and handed Fleetfoot the baton.

"Awesome!" sad the white-haired pegasus. Then, Cloudsdale cheerleaders came flying around Rainbow Dash.

"Whinny, ponies, whinny! Fly on, fly on, fly on!"

Rainbow quickly flew away, bypassing Twilight, who watched on with uncertainty. Rainbow had been flying off and on for a while now. She wondered what the situation was. Also, why was Korra avoiding her.

Korra would visit Soarin at the hospital bed, using her water to heal his injured wing. He winced at first but he quickly relaxed at the gentled glowing water.

"Wow! You're a miracle worker!" the pony said in admiration.

"It's nothing. Most waterbenders can do it where I'm from."

"So, how's my team doing? Did they find a replacement pony to proactive with? You know they can't do the routine without one, even if it is temporary."

Korra slightly strained at the mention of this. Should she tell him it was Rainbow Dash? She didn't know. So instead, she only told part of the truth.

"Yeah, they found a pretty good pony for the time being."

"Great! He a good flyer?"

"Um…_she's_ pretty good. Fast as they come."

"I bet Rainbow Dash would like her."

Korra forced a smile, though deep down she felt guilty. "You have no idea."

(~)

Bulk Biceps grunted as he flew towards the rings, all the while Rainbow Dash was encouraging him. In the best way she could.

"Come on, Bulk Biceps, you can do it!"

However, just like before, his large body caused him to get stuck in the rings…again. Fluttershy flew up to him, "Um... I'm ready to take the horseshoe, if you want me to."

Bulk handed her the horseshoe, but in struggling to get pass the ring he was stuck on, the weight of his body caused the ring to bend back and fling the two away, screaming. They passed right by Mako, who was writing some stuff down on a notebook, and feeling the breeze past him. He turned his head and winced when the two ponies rammed into a rock. Bulk was alright, but Fluttershy was now crammed onto his back. Mako winced at the sight while Rainbow Dash groaned.

With Spitfire and Fleetfoot, Rainbow Dash and then were doing some wing ups…each with a pony on their back. Rainbow attempted to get her team to do wing ups, but Fluttershy's struggled while Bulk couldn't even do it due to his tiny wings.

"You, uh, keep doing your wing-ups." said Rainbow, "I'm just gonna get some, uh, water." once again, she flew away, leaving Twilight to grow even more skeptical.

Korra watched as Rainbow Dash zipped from one team to the next, one time she caught her and tried to speak with her. "Rainbow Dash, can we talk?"

"In a minute, gotta meat up with Spitfire and Fleetfoot."

She jumped into Rainbow's way, stopping her, "I want to know if you're still keeping your head in the game here. You seem to be spending an awful lot more time with those two than with your friends. It's really starting to worry me."

"Korra, relax. I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I am sure. Now, if you'll excuse me." the pony zoomed away from the Avatar, making her hair ties bellow in the wind. The Avatar sighed sadly when she spotted the firebender.

"Hey, Korra. Where is Rainbow flying off to now?" Korra grunted as she crossed her arms, bitterly. Mako knew something wasn't right. "What's wrong?"

"I'd tell you but I promised Rainbow Dash I wouldn't. And I'm starting to regret it."

"What did she tell you _not_ to say?"

"I…I can't."

"Okay, is there anything you _can_ tell me?"

Korra sighed and looked up into his eyes. She could tell he was willing to listen to her. To at least try and understand her. Maybe she should tell him the truth. She took in a deep breath before speaking…really quickly.

"The Wonderbolts asked Rainbow Dash to practice with them since they can't without a third pony, but Rainbow is only doing it to help out her team by learning from the best, and I trusted her with it at first, but now it's almost like she's forgetting what she was trying to do and I want to tell her but she keeps flying off and she told me not to tell anybody but keeping it secret is already killing me but if I do say something then what if her team gets supper mad and decide to quit because they think Rainbow's a traitor and she loses her chance of qualifying for the games which is something she's dreamed off since she was a filly and then she'll be mad because I didn't keep my promise and I'll be the one feeling like a traitor!"

The Avatar took in a huge deep breath and slide down to the ground against a tree. "You have any idea how it feels to keep a secret _this_ big that could have a bad outcome no matter what you do?"

Mako was silent for a moment before replying, "More than you know."

Korra's eyes widened in shock at this revelation, "Say what?"

Mako sat down beside her, "I know exactly what that's like. You want to tell the truth but at the same time you don't want to because your afraid of the consequences and you don't want anybody to get hurt. That's exactly how I felt when I was hiding my feelings for you from Asami. But eventually I realized, keeping it a secret was being just as painful as not saying anything. If not worse."

Korra was speechless for a moment, taking in what Mako had just told her. She now knew how he felt being torn between two people he cared about, knowing the consequences but fearing of making the wrong choice.

"I didn't know it was this hard for you." she said.

"Yeah, it was. Especially when it was between two people I care about."

"Then…what do I do?"

"Do what I didn't have the guts to do before. Face the situation rather than running from it. Trust me, keeping it in is not the right thing to do. I know you want to trust Rainbow and have her dream come true, but a lie is still a lie. Even when you're trying to help someone."

"I didn't think of it that way. Guess I've still got a lot to learn."

Mako smiled and wrapped his arm around her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you told me this." he said.

Korra felt a huge weigh of relief being lifted from her shoulders. Now she knew what it was like to feel torn in which choice to make. She smiled and kissed Mako on the cheek.

"Me too."

(~)

Rainbow Dash snuck away from Fluttershy, Bulk Biceps and Applejack to drink water from the nearby stream.

"It's not easy practicing with two teams, is it?"

Rainbow spit out the water from her mouth when she spotted Twilight Sparkle before her. "You… know? Did Korra tell you?"

"I did." the Avatar appeared right behind Rainbow Dash.

"Does anypony else know?"

"No. They're too busy practicing to wonder why you keep disappearing."

"Korra, you said you wouldn't tell!"

"I know, but recently all you've been doing was spending time with the Wonderbolts than your own team! I had to say something, even if it did mean breaking my promise!"

"Well, if you felt that way why didn't you say something?"

"I tried! But you kept flying in and out so fast you never gave me a chance!"

"Well, I've seen the other team practicing and we're still gonna qualify. I can fly fast enough to make up the distance."

"It just seems like one of the teams you're practicing with needs a little more help than the other one." Twilight said.

"But it's so much more fun working out with the winners than... um... the non-winners. Besides, Ponyville will still qualify."

"Do you hear yourself?" Korra said angrily, "What happened to the Rainbow Dash who was so confident in her teammates? All of this 'winner circle' stuff has gotten to your head."

Then, Spitfire and Fleetfoot showed up, "Rainbow Dash, you got a minute?"

"Uh, sure." Rainbow flew up to the two.

"You could really be an asset to our team, so... we want you to join the Cloudsdale team. Permanently."

Rainbow Dash gasped in excitement, much to Twilight and Korra's shock.

"It looks like Soarin's wing won't heal in time for the trials." said Spitfire, wrapping her hoof around Rainbow Dash, "We want _you_ to fly with us."

"Of course, this means you _won't_ be able to fly for Ponyville," Fleetfoot said, "but let's face it. Even with you on their team, their chances of qualifying for the Games are pretty slim."

As she said this, they witnessed Fluttershy attempting to hand Bulk the horseshoe, only to accidentally hit his cheek, and he ran off whimpering.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Spitfire asked rather confidently.

"Well, I…"

"Take some time to think about it." the two ponies flew off and Rainbow Dash began zooming around the Avatar and Alicorn.

"They want _me_ to fly with _them_! It's like a dream come true!" he contently landed on her back, resting on the grass with her hooves behind her back.

"Rainbow Dash, aren't you forgetting something?" Korra asked sternly, making the pony stopped her victory cheers. "Without you, Ponyville won't qualify. Each team needs three ponies, and where as they going to find a new fast flyer on such short notice? Bulk and Fluttershy's efforts will be for nothing!"

Twilight spoke next, "Not to mention, If you fly for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for. Rarity's uniforms will never be seen. And Applejack will have slaved over those apple brown bettys for nothing."

"Everyone's hard work and Loyalty towards _you_ will be completely worthless. And all because you couldn't get down from your glory cloud long enough to see that!"

Rainbow Dash could not be angry with Korra, she knew she had tried to be supportive and to help her achieve her goal. But she and Twilight were right, she didn't have her priorities in order anymore. She felt terrible for putting that pressure on Korra before, and she felt terrible about what do to. She wanted her team tow in, but she also wanted to fly with the Wonderbolts; her lifelong dream. She didn't know what to do. She sadly flew over to Twilight.

"What should I do?"

Just when Korra was about to speak, when Twilight rose her hoof to silence her. Once look into the alicorn's eyes and, somehow, Korra caught an idea as to what she was trying to tell her.

"I think this is a decision you have to make on your own." said the princess as she slowly walked way, with a look of concern. "The race is tomorrow, so you'd better make it soon."

Rainbow lowered down onto the ground, looking up at Korra in regret. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are." That was all she said, right before walking away.

(~)

The next day, Twilight and Korra waited anxiously fro Rainbow Dash. Korra hoped that Rainbow had come to her senses by now. She knew she was smart, but even so she could have her…well, her moments where she wasn't. Korra knew that better than anyone. She noticed Twilight's concern and petted her head.

"Hey, I'm sure she'll be flying with the Ponyvile team the minute she gets here."

"Woe is me! Oooh!"

"Then again, the Universe just loves to prove me wrong sometimes."

Korra face palmed herself when she and the others saw Rainbow Dash, on a wheelchair, covered in bandages, both on her hooves, wings, stomach, bandages on her cheek and chest, and a neck collar, all while moaning and crying dramatically.

Fluttershy approached her "injured" friend. "What's happened?"

"Urgh, I've hurt my hoof…"

Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Rarity gasped, while Twilight, Korra and Mako looked on skeptically.

"_All_ of them?" Spitfire asked, looking at all four of her bandaged hooves.

"I, uh, tripped on a-a foam hoof and landed on a…pokey stick coming out of the ground." she muffled the last part, near unintelligible.

Pinkie Pie growled in anger, "If I get my hooves on that 'pokey stick coming out of the ground' she said, matching unintelligible gibberish, "it'll be in big trouble!"

"There is no way I can fly now." Rainbow said dramatically.

"Do you think you'll be better by tryouts?" Fluttershy asked and Rainbow groaned in exaggeration while leaning against the chair, placing her hoof on her forehead like a drama queen.

"I'll be lucky if I ever fly again!"

Korra clenched her fists, just about ready to blow a casket, until both Mako and Twilight took her by the shoulders and shook their heads, silently telling her to let it be. Much to her disappointment.

Rainbow sighed, "I just need a little rest."

Fluttershy helped her friends sit up straight and began pushing the wheelchair, "Oh, don't worry, Rainbow Dash. We'll take care of you... or, at least, somepony will. Like, a medic or-or a doctor, or a nurse."

(~)

At the hospital, the EKG beeped while Rainbow Dash had all four of her hooves elevated as she laid on a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends. Twilight examined the machine and eyes the rainbow pony suspiciously.

"So, the medic pony isn't sure what's wrong with you."

"Everything! Absolutely everything!" Rainbow exclaimed dramatically.

Applejack then placed one of her cupcakes into Rainbow's mouth, "This'll cure everythin' that ails ya!"

Rainbow Dash chewed on the pastry, "Thank you. I couldn't have done that on my own."

Twilight, Mako and Korra sighed in annoyance and Rarity levitated a lovely sequin purple fabric from her bag.

"Nothing says 'get better' like a little medical pizazz! Silk slings and a glitter bandage?"

"That might help." Rainbow said as Rarity so generously wrapped the fabric around Rainbow's hoof. Bolin then placed a scented cantle beside her bed.

"Aroma therapy always soothes the injured soul."

"Thanks, Bolin."

The doors opened and Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps entered the room. "And how is our patient doing?" Fluttershy asked as Bulk struggled to enter the room due to his size, but managed.

"I've been better."

"We just wanted to let you know that we're so sorry you're hurt, but you shouldn't worry a bit about not being able to be in the tryouts. We'll be alright. We even have a replacement."

A grey colored pegasus pony with derby eyes, yellow mane and bubbles for a cutie mark, entered the room while waving the ponyville flag.

"Derpy?!" Korra and Mako both exclaimed in shock. Why did they pick her?

Korra looked up into the sky, "Thanks a lot." she asked sarcastically.

"We're so, so sorry that you can't compete." Fluttershy said, "We all know how much you love to fly. And we promise-"

"Cross our hearts!" Bulk exclaimed.

"…That if we qualify and make it to the Equestria Games and all win gold medals, you can have ours, because we know how much a gold medal means to you."

The bedridden pony felt so touched by these words. Even though they were still not an good as the Wonderbolts, but they were still Loyal to the team. Loyal to Ponyville.

Loyal to her.

"Thanks…" she felt her eyes start to water. Seeing this, Twilight cleared her throat.

"I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more."

One by one, the Mane Six exited the room, but Korra was the only one who remained, along with Twilight. Rainbow didn't need words to know that they both knew she was faking her injuries. But even so, they did not look mad. She knew Korra was close to exploding, but she didn't. Instead the Avatar spoke to her with a wisdom that was rare even for Korra.

"You know, choosing not to choose isn't really a decision. Take it from someone who knows." she and Twilight exited the room, leaving Rainbow Dash to her thoughts. However, she wasn't entirely alone. She did have a hospital roommate.

It was Soarin.

"You sure have nice friends." he said when he removed the curtain which hid him from view before. His wing was wrapped in a bandage and was on a bed just like her, "Nopony's been by to visit me. Well, except for that nice Korra. She's been healing my wing all this time. Eh, guess everypony else was too busy practicing."

"Well, hopefully your wing will be better soon." Rainbow said kindly.

"Oh, it's fine. I-I'm just keeping it warm in case my team wants me back."

"What do you mean, 'wants you back'?" Rainbow asked skeptically, "Spitfire and Fleetfoot told me that you were still too injured to fly!"

"And they told me that they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent by the tryouts, so they were going with the pony who's been practicing with them lately!"

"That pony else was me!" Rainbow exclaimed, realizing she had been lied to, "Until, uh, well, until I got hurt, that is."

Soarin sighed sadly, "So, I guess we're all out of luck. Cloudsdale won't qualify without three fliers, and Ponyville won't qualify without you. Too bad…"

The blue pegasus wrapped his body in a blanket, apparently giving up. Rainbow realized how stupid she had been acting. She wanted her team to win so badly that she got so wrapped up in acting like a winner. She should have never lied to her friends, and she never should have made Korra keep the secret and making her feel she had to choose between herself and the others. She wasn't being a very good friend. To anypony or anybody.

Korra was right, not choosing wasn't a choice. But what will she do now? If she told the truth, everypony would get angry, or worse. She allowed one tear to escape her eyes.

"Universe, send me a sign or something."

Then, as if in an instant, a ray of sunshine entered the room, hitting a jug of water, creating a string of rainbow colors that hit the Ponyville flag on the floor. The flag that represented her home, where her friends lived.

She then remembered that one night at the pro-bending arena, where Korra managed to get her teem working together again, showing they were the ones who mattered more to her than winning.

_"Choosing not to choose isn't really a decision."_

As her eyes shinned with a Rainbow glow. Rainbow Dash had her answer.

(~)

The rest of the group were devastated. Without Rainbow Dash, Ponyvile didn't stand a chance.

"Even with Rainbow Dash's replacement, I don't think we're gonna qualify. " Mako stated, then turned to Derpy, "No offense."

But, the grey pegasus just shrugged it off. Apparently she takes criticism rather well.

Pinkie Pie angrily removed her rainbow-colored wig, "Gah! What am I gonna do with all these now?!" she pointed to a pile of colorful pom palms.

Applejack arced an eyebrow, "Uh, what were you gonna do with them _before_?"

Rarity sighed sadly, "Maybe my Equestria Games uniforms will still be in style next year. I mean, I am pretty fashion-forward."

Korra's eyes then widened and she smiled when she saw the rainbow pegasus walking across the fields in her bandages.

"Is that Rainbow Dash… walking?" Bolin was very surprised to see this. But she wasn't alone. Soarin accompanied her as well.

The two approached Spitfire and Fleetfoot, who were so shocked that they dropped their bottles of water from their mouths.

"Does… this mean you're feeling better?" asked Fleetfoot, uncertain on how to react to this surprising turn of events.

"I-I feel great, because... I was never hurt in the first place."

To everyone, well almost everyone's, shock, Rainbow Dash removed the bandages from her body, showcasing her uninjured body. The two teams gasped.

"I faked my injury so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for Ponyville or Cloudsdale. At first I was only training with the Wonderbolts so I could get inspired and help out my own team, but I got so wrapped up in the winner circle that I lost track of what I was really working for. In the end, I wanted to fly with you both, but the decision was too hard! And worse, I made my friend keep a secret that wasn't hers to keep."

Korra clapped her hands close to her heart, feeling the integrity in her friend's words.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to choose us." said Fluttershy, "I know you love to win, and you should go with the team that surely will."

Rainbow Dash smiled, "I know now who I should've been loyal to."

"Good choice." Spitfire smiled broadly, "Always stick with the winners."

"I am…Ponyville."

The two pegasus ponies dropped their jaws in shock, allowing Korra to exclaim in victory, "Ha!"

Rainbow Dash proudly walked back to her _real_ team. "Because it's not just where I live, but it's where my friends are. The ponies who really care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not."

Twilight and Korra could be prouder of there friend. Everybody was proud. The Mane Six, Bolin, Mako, Korra and Bulk Biceps all happily cheered for their friend for making the right choice.

"Are you sure that's the right decision?" Spitfire asked. To her surprise, Rainbow narrowed her eyes at her and Fleetfoot.

"You lied to me about Soarin's wing just so you could get a better flyer!" Soarin crossed his hooves and narrowed his eyes at the two as well, "You may be a winning team, but you're still not the kind of team _I_ wanna be a part of."

"Yeah!" everyone turned heads to see Mako, raising his hand up, and cheering for Rainbow Dash. He slowly lowered his hand and blushed in embarrassment.

Spitfire removed her shades, surprisingly, she was not angry at all. In fact, she was impressed. "Huh. Rainbow Dash, you are something. Saw it at the Academy, seeing it again here. We could learn a lot from a competitor like you."

"Think we already have." said Fleetfoot, equally impressed. Spitfire approached Soarin lowering her ears sadly.

"Sorry we lied to you. I guess we got caught up in the winner circle too. Never should've lied and tried to replace you to begin with. If you're still up for it, wanna fly with us again?"

Sorain was a bit skeptical at first, until Rainbow nodded her head, saying he should give them another chance. He smiled.

"You know it!" eh happily flew up into the sky, with his teammates behind him, "Go, Cloudsdale!"

Rainbow Dash turned to her team, "Come on, Ponyville relay team! We've got a race to get ready for!"

Bulk Biceps exclaimed, "_Yeah!" _as he and Fluttershy flew up behind their leader.

"Go get em, guys!" Korra cheered.

(~)

The Wonderbolts, all three this time, landed into the flying rainbow circle in the sky. Fleetfoot flew up and a unicorn pony hit the timer and nodded, signaling the Wondebolts qualify for the Games. Soarin looked down at Rainbow's team.

"Come on, Ponyville! You can do it!"

Bulk Biceps managed to fly thought the rings without getting stuck while the unicorn above kept his eyes on the timer watch. Bulk shockingly handed Fluttershy the horseshoe and the yellow pegasus managed to grab it without having it fall. Twilight, now wearing a cheerleader outfit and rainbow wig, galloped her front hooves with her pom palms.

"Go, Fluttershy! Woo-hoo!"

The yellow pegasus, now with her stronger airbending wings, managed to zoom though the rings with ease. She flapped her wings faster and handed Rainbow Dash the horseshoe. Bolin was wearing a rainbow afro and was waving pom palms as well, and cheered along with the Cloudsdale cheerleaders.

"Qualify, Ponyville! Qualify, Ponyville!"

Pinkie Pie jumped up and cheered while throwing confetti, "Woo-hoo! Go, Rainbow Dash!"

The timer keep on going, Rainbow Dash was giving it her all, flying at top speed. Down bellow, Korra kept on chanting, "Come on, come on, come on." while Mako was bitting his nails nervously and Applejack chewed on one of her betyys.

Time was almost out and right before the timer reached the limit, Rainbow came zooming onto the finish line.

"Ponyville qualifies!" said the unicorn.

It was a close call, but they did it. Rainbow and her team did it. Korra, Mako and Bolin jumped up and cheered for there friends' victory. Even the Wonderbolts cheered for them.

Bolin; "Alright!"

Mako; "Yeah!"

Korra; "They did it!"

Rainbow, Fluttershy and Bulk smiled at the adoring a applauds. Fluttershy couldn't believe it, they were all cheering. For her. She came though for team Ponyville.

The qualifying teams lined up as the unicorn levitated metals for each of the teams. To Rainbow's surprise, Spitfire walked up to her and gave her her Wonderbolts spin, placing it near her metal. Her way of saying thanks. Rainbow smiled in gratitude and Korra smiled proudly at the scene.

The three teens and ponies all gathered around the three pegasus ponies, Twilight wrapping her hoof around Rainbow's shoulder, smiling proudly. Korra joined in the hug and the two ponies nuzzled against her face. The friends all smiled for the camera.

"Equestria Games, here we come!"

(~)

At the train ride back, Korra watched as the stunning Rainbow Falls disappeared from view. Another adventure over, but she knew there would be plenty more from here on out with the Equestria games just around the corner.

Mako wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm great."

Rainbow Dash flew up to the two, "Hey, Korra. I wanted to say I'm sorry again for making you keep my secret. I never should have put that pressure on you."

"It's okay, Rainbow. You're not the only one who's learned something today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, the right choice isn't the easiest one to take. And it takes a good friend to show you the way."

Korra happily rested her head on Mako's shoulder. Somehow, the experience, unexpectedly, brought them a little closer together.

(~)

"_Oh, I can't deny it. I love to win! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and being loyal to my friends, I'm _always_ gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as I love winning, I love them _waaaaay _more."_

Rainbow watched as her friends were happily galloping outside for Twilight's house. Korra peeked her head through the door, "Come on, Rainbow!"

"I'll be right there!" she placed her medallion on the side of the pedestal where the book stood.

When the pin Spitfire had given her glowed with a Rainbow Hue.

(~)

_"It's always important to trust your friends. But, other times, It's just as important to know when to let them know when they're in the wrong._

_That takes true Loyalty._

_Hope to see you next time for another installment of_

Tales of Equestria!


	8. Simple Ways

_"Ah! Love is in the air! And It's not even Heart's and Hooves day_

_Ah, love. Such a mystery and a treasure for all….gag! _

_Well, this tale is indeed a love story. But not the kind you would expect._

_Confused? Well, let's find out._

_(~)_

**Simple Ways**

Rarity happily galloped across Air Temple Island, looking for her human friend. "Korra? You here, darling? I was hoping you had some old shirts you could spare. I need some blue fabric for my new dress but the store's all out."

To answer her question, Rarity spotted her human companion, flying around the skies in her new wind glider, practicing her airbending. She also spotted a certain firebender, who stood at the center of a platform watching the Avatar soar across the skies like a pegasus pony.

"Hello, Mako."

"Oh, hey Rarity."

"What's Korra doing?"

"She's practicing her air gliding skills." he said as he watched the Avatar zoom and speed across the clouds. He watched her with such admiration. "Isn't she amazing?"

"Indeed." Rarity agreed, noticing the way Mako was looking at her friend.

Korra was so lucky to have somebody who looked at her the way Mako did. Such admiration and love in his eyes, even a blind person could see it. However, as happy as she was for the young couple, she couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. She always dreamed of finding a stallion who would love her the way Mako did Korra. What always amazed her was that Korra was one of the most unfeminine girls Rarity had met, aside from Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and yet this tall handsome young man looked at her as if she were the most tuning creature on earth. Even his eyes on Asami never carried this much passion.

Korra finally landed, closing up her glider, which was colored blue instead of the traditional red. She was an individual that way. "How was that?" she asked.

"You were incredible up there!" Mako said, practically swooning.

"You were dazzling!" Rarity commented.

"Thanks, Rare." Korra squatted down to her level, "So what brings you here?"

"I was hoping if you had any old shirts I could use for a new dress?"

"Of course. Is it for anything special?"

"Indeed!" said Rarity, "We're having a Ponyville Days festival and, guess who was appointed the Pony of _Ceremonies_." she said so in a sing-song tone.

Korra smiled knowingly, "Let me guess, is she incredibly stylish?"

"Yes."

"Talented?"

"Yes."

"Name starts with an 'R'?"

"Yes!"

Korra tapped her chin, pretending to figure out who it was, when in reality she was just teasing. "Hmmm, I wonder who it could possibly be." she then tapped Rarity's nose, "Could it be….you?"

"Yes! I was elected!"

"Congratulations Rarity!"

"What's the Pony of Ceremonies suppose to do?" Mako asked, "And what's so special about this festival?"

"It celebrates the founding of Ponyville, and the pony of ceremonies is elected to organize the whole thing!"

"Isn't Pinkie Pie helping out?" Mako asked….right when the said pony appeared on his back.

"Not this time!"

"Ah!" Mako backed away screaming and Pinkie Pie landed safely on the ground.

"But I'm glad the committee didn't automatically pick me so everypony gets a chance to see how great being me actually is!"

Mako blinked, not even bothering to ask how she got here so quickly.

"I expect you two will be attending?" Rarity said.

"Of course!" Korra said enthusiastically, "We wouldn't miss it for the world! Right Mako?"

"Sounds like fun to me." he said.

"Do you know what you're gonna do for the festival?" Korra asked.

"Oh, I might have a few ideas." using her magic, she created a holographic scale model of all of Ponyville, and the way she will be decorating it for the festival. Korra and Mako were amazed to see all of the details in the image.

"Just a _few_?" Korra asked with an arched eyebrow and smirk.

"Well, maybe more than a few."

(~)

The following day, Team Avatar and the Mane Six were at Rarity's boutique, where she had already prepared a runway inside to demonstrate her ideas for the festival. Pinkie Pie was standing at the tips of her front hooves, "I'm so excited for the festival, I can hardly stand up straight!" she fell face first into the floor, making Rainbow roll her eyes.

"Me too." said Twilight, "I'm glad Rarity was picked. I know she'll add a touch of elegance to the whole thing!"

"Probably _more_ than a touch!" said Mako, knowing just how 'overboard' Rarity can get with elegance and style. Korra playfully elbowed him.

The lights dimmed, only the lights on the runway were lit, and Spike stepped out wearing a tuxedo and played a phonograph and adjusted his bow tie, clearing his throat as he addressed to the crowd. A spotlight shined over him, and he stood beside a blank canvass while reading from flash cards.

"This year's Ponyville Days festival, designed by Rarity, will feature various high-class events such as…" he lifted up the blank sheet, to reveal the canvass was a large notebook, and the following image was a detailed drawing of ponies in elegant clothing drinking cider, "a silent cider auction and tasting." Spike said.

The Mane Six, and Bolin, all 'Ooooh!'d in awe, while Mako, Korra and Asami watched in silence, but still attentive. Spike lifted the drawing to reveal another of ponies ball room dancing.

"A Ponyville gala in town square."

The Mane Six and Bolin, minus Asami, Korra and Mako went "Ahhhh!"

Spike lifted the image again to reveal another of ponies down a runway, "And, of course, a Ponyville fashion show."

"Ooooh!"

"This year's Ponyville Days festival pony of ceremonies creates shimmering couture of her own design."

The curtain opened to reveal Rarity wearing a shimmering gown of bleu and purpled with a ring-like jewel around her horn and matching earrings, apparently pierced with more diamonds.

"And the theme is... "Small. Town. Chic"!" she said with such pizzaz.

Korra marveled at her friend's dress, "Wow, Rarity. You really have put a lot of effort into this. And you put my old shirts to good use."

"I'll say." said Bolin.

"Oh, I think it's going to be a magical evening." Fluttershy said dreamily.

Rarity gasped with delight, "Do you really think so?"

"Are you kidding?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I can't wait!"

Bolin then whispered to Asami, "Think you can hook me and Mako up with some new duds by then?"

"No problem." said the heiress.

"Oh, that's such a relief." Rarity said while Spike rolled her a small plight of stairs for her to walk down off of the runway, and the lights turned on once more. "But of course, I couldn't possibly do it all on my own. The festival is in three days!"

"Pinkie Pie and I can hang lights and decorations in the town square!" said Rainbow Dash.

"And I can get Sweet Apple Acres all ready for the cider tasting'." said Applejack.

"And I'll make sure Pabu get his bath before then." said Bolin, only to receive a hiss from his ferret, who was playing with a ball of yarn with Rarity's cat Opal.

Rarity smiled, "Oh, that's just perfect! And now, Twilight, if you, Korra, Asami and Fluttershy wouldn't mind helping with the fashion show…"

Twilight Sparkle; "Of course!"

Fluttershy; "I'd be honored."

Asami; "I'd love to!"

Korra; "Just say the word and I'm there."

"Wonderful! I can focus on the thing I'm worried about most of all."

"What's that?" Asami asked.

"Creating a Ponyville Days festival fantastic enough to impress... Trenderhoof!" Rarity's eyes sparkled with awe and admiration. A look all of Team Avatar were all too familiar with already.

"Uh, who's Trenderhoof?" Applejack asked.

Rarity gasped in shock, "What?! How can you not know who Trenderhoof is?" she galloped along to another curtain, which she levitated open with her magic, to reveal a shrine, completely filled with magazine covers, head-shots and photographs about a tan colored male pony with glasses and a pale yellow mane wearing somewhat of a nerdy but stylish grey/green shirt with orange collar. His eyes were violet and there were hearts all around the pictures. Rarity's pale face blushed as she looked at the images.

"Trenderhoof is only _the_ most amazing, handsomest travel writer to have ever traveled or written! He's an old friend of mine from when I was just a filly!"

"He's from Ponyville?" Twilight asked.

"Well, no. I met him once during a summer vacation with my family in Phylidelphia. We were staying at a lovely resort not long after Sweetie Belle was born. I met him at the resort's playtime park for children. We became fast friends. We both loved all things unique and beautiful, and he was so good at seeing the details in almost anything! But, alas, it was not meant to be forever. Once our vacation was over, I had to say goodbye to my sweet Trenderhoof. After that, I eventually found out that he had become a famous travel writer! Before Las Pegasus became an Equestria travel destination, he wrote about it! Before the culinary revolution in Trottingham, _he_ discovered it! He knows what's going to be hot even before it's tepid!" she giggled as she hugged a poster.

Korra smiled, "Sounds like somepony has a little bit of a crush."

Rarity literally swooned as she allowed Korra to catch her, "Oh, Korra, "crush" doesn't even begin to describe it. He's practically divine. I can't believe he's coming!" the unicorn leaped off and began giggling with excitement as she marveled at the posters, while the others all looked at one another skeptically.

Bolin chuckled, "She's got it bad!"

(~)

Latter that day, Rarity, Twilight and Korra awaited at the train station to welcome Trenderhoof to Ponyville. Rarity was in a frenzy at seeing her childhood crush all over again. She was fanning herself with a fan to wipe away the possible sweat dripping on her brow.

"Thank you ever so much for joining me, girls. I don't think I could have met Trenderhoof on my own!"

"It's no problem, but you shouldn't be nervous about meeting him." said Twilight.

Korra agreed, "Yeah. Besides, you've known him before, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you again."

"You really think so?"

"Of course. You're the coolest unicorn I know. What pony wouldn't like you?"

Rarity smiled in gratitude, "You always have the sweetest things to say, Korra. I guess I'm just hoping to one day have what you and Mako have. Somepony who looks at me the way Mako looks at you. With love and admiration, but also with confidence. Almost like the very idea of you inspires him in some strange mysterious way. Or maybe that's just my inner artist talking rubbish."

Korra did not think it was rubbish, because what Rarity felt was exactly how she felt around Mako. She always did feel there was something linking them together that went beyond more just a touchy feeling in your stomach. It was more than that and she knew it. She never knew how to place it into words, but she knew it was real. Even if it was hard to see. In a way, it was similar to how she felt about the Mane Six. A thread that connected them all like spiritual sisters. Maybe there was more to this 'soul mate' business than most people led to believe. Both in romance and in friendship.

"I know you'll find somepony like that, Rarity." Korra said with compassion and confidence.

Once the train arrived, Rarity's head speeded up and the doors opened as a crowd of ponies walked out. Rarity tried to see Trenderhoof but she could not find him anywhere.

"Is that him? Is he here? Twilight, is he there?"

"Uhh… I'm not sure." said the alicorn.

"You don't suppose he's decided not to come? I don't see him! What if he doesn't arrive? The whole festival will be a disaster! _Girls, where is he?!"_

All eyes were on the hyperactive lovesturck unicorn. Realizing her outburst, she blushed and straightened herself.

"Sorry."

"Rarity, I get you're nervous but you have to get a hold of yourself." said the Avatar, "I mean, you haven't even seen him yet!"

Just then, one final pony stepped out, a unicorns with a tan colored coat and tall proportions. Rarity turned around and her eyes sparkled in awe.

There he was, her old Trenderhoof from her childhood. He was even more handsome in person that in her posters. For a moment, it was like going back in time to when she was a filly. All of those feelings returned, the heart race, the flush on her face, the weakness in her knees, it was like a tsunami of emotion. But then reality hit her and she hid behind the Avatar and Alicorn.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Shh! It's him, it's him, is it him? Is it him? It's him, he's here, he's here!" Rarity was no not herself right now, she was even worse than Fluttershy.

"Well, go up and talk to him!:

Rarity held on to Twilight's back leg, hiding underneath her tail, screeching unintelligible, "I-I can't!"

Korra and Twilight shared the same looks and the Avatar forcibly lifted the unmoving unicorn up and carried her in her arms. With a serious expression, she walked over to the male unicorn, "Excuse me, you're Trenderhoof, right?"

The unicorn looked at the new creature, "Uh….yes?"

"I believe you've met Rarity." she placed the unicorn in front of the male pony. The unicorn was still paralyzed in place. "Have fun." Korra said before walking back to Twilight, leaving Rarity to speak to her old crush. The poor pony couldn't keep her heart steady.

"Uh, hi– Hello, Mr. Trenderhoof."

"Wait, Rarity? Is that really you?"

Rarity's face became even brigther in red, "Uh, oh, yes! Been a long time, hasn't it?"

"It certainly has." he said happily to see his old friend, "You look amazing!"

"Really?! I-I mean, thank you. You look quite marvelous yourself." she giggled before clearing her throat, "I have been chosen as pony of ceremonies for the Ponyville Days festival. So, I really look forward to you witnessing what I've arrange, Mr. Tranderhoof." she laughed nervously.

"Rarity, please. We're old friends, call me 'Trend'." he smiled, his pearl white teeth shimmering, which only made Rarity blush all the more before passing out in a daze.

Korra and Twilight face/hoof palmed themselves. "Uh. She's worse than I was." said Korra.

"Tell me about it."

(~)

After regaining her composure, Rarity began showing Trenderhoof all around Ponyville. "It really is wonderful to see you again." said Rarity, "A lot has changed since we saw each other. For starters, I am now the proud owner of my new fashion business."

"I always knew you would be a success." Trend said, "You were always so talented with that sort of thing. I'm so proud of you."

Rarity giggled but tried her best to keep her cool.

"I've been meaning to ask, who was that creature at the train station?"

"You mean Korra? Don't worry, she's perfectly harmless. Unless you get on her bad side, in which case you better run." she and Trend laughed at the joke, she was already feeling comfortable with her old friend again, "I met her once in Republic City."

"Never heard of it. In what part of Equestria is it?"

"Oh, it's not in Equestria, it's in a different world entirely. It's kind of a long story. Let's just say, my friends and I found a magical book, got sucked in and made friends with Korra and the other humans. Oh! And she gave al of us these new abilities! Watch this."

Her horn glowed and, from the river underneath the bridge, Rarity bended the water and froze it in place, making an alicorn ice statue. "Ta-da!"

Trend was very impressed, "Wow! That's remarkable! You're so lucky!"

"Oh, it's really nothing. I've already made marvelous ice sculptures for the festival."

"Speaking of which, I'm dying to know what you have planed. I'm sure it'll involve something as amazing and otherworldly as your new powers and that Korra friend of yours."

Rarity gulped, "Um, what do you mean?"

"I figured you would grab inspiration from them. You always did have a knack for finding motivation in strange places, and what could be stranger than your new powers and a whole different world? And I mean 'weird' in a nice way, of course. That's how the word is used often now a days."

"Oh, well, um…" Rarity had to come up with something, maybe she could add a few more Republic City elements to the festival, it shouldn't be so hard, the world did have a few classy elements. Then again, Trend never saw the place so it probably wouldn't be an issue. Still, she really wanted to impress him, maybe she could get Korra to sing after the fashion show or something. She wouldn't mind doing that.

"Well, did I mention Korra is going to sing at the festival as well?"

"Really?! She can sing too?"

"Of course! She has the voice of an angel! You're going to love it. And here in the square is where the Ponyville Days gala will be. Music, dancing! And of course a locally sourced menu of delicious treats."

"Reminds me of the "Spring Fling meets Manehattan Wedding" I wrote about in _Gallop &amp; Prance_." said Trend as they continued to walk.

"Exactly! I, I can't even describe how much your work has influenced me!"

So far so good, she thought.

(~)

She then led Trend to the farm where Applejack worked, "And finally, Sweet Apple Acres. Ponyville's core, heh-heh, so to speak, where our quaint little hamlet began."

Trend marveled at the beauty of the farm. He simply adored new and exotic things. "Oh, breathtaking! I've heard about it of course, but to see it in vérité, to stand on the soil of a working farm... You can really feel the authenticity." he squatted downa nd dug his hooves into the soil, marveling at it.

"Oh, yes, uh, they, they really do grow apples here." her heart raced when Trend placed his hoof over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Rarity. Thank you for bringing me here. This farm is _truly_ something special."

"Oh, I had planned to transform it into an elegant country inn for the festival... but now I see just how special it is _au naturel_."

"_Au naturel_ indeed."

Rarity silently swooned as she gazed into Trenderhoof's eyes, her heart leaping out of her chest. She suddenly completely forgot where she stood, all that mattered now was him and her. Together. However, the infatuated unicorn was about to discover that the feeling was not entirely mutual.

"Who… is... _that_?"

Trend's attention shifted from Rarity to something, or someone, behind her. She spun around only to find Applejack bucking apples in the hot day sun, the pony wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Who? Applejack?" Rarity was confused as to why Trend would be interested in the country pony, and in what way?

Trend absentmindedly shoved Rarity aside to get a better look at the orange colored, blond-haired mare. Trend's eyes widened in awe as he watched the way the mare swiftly moved her mane as the apples fell around her. Her eyes were a stunning shade of emerald, it was looking the gems themselves became her eyes. And her coat, so brightly orange like the sunrise, and her mane was a perfect shade of gold. She looked so strong, so powerful and confident, her independent spirit was evident in every move she made. She was so focused in her work but, in Trend's mind, he could have sworn she was looking at him, smiling with her emerald eyes. He was too smitten to realize this was only in his mind's eye.

Rarity eyed at the unicorn, "Ahem! Why are you staring at her like that?"

Trend slowly moved away from Rarity, his eyes glued to the second pony before him. "I've seen a lot in my travels, but I've _never_ beheld such beauty. Applejack... The pony of my dreams…"

Those words were enough to shatter Rarity's heart. After trying her best ti impress her old flame, here he was making goggly eyes at one of her best friends.

She couldn't even begin to describe how hurt she felt. This was exactly how Korra felt when Mako was with Asami. She would know, and now she was feeling the exact same way.

Knowing and understanding how a person feels is much different than actually feeling it yourself.

(~)

Korra arrived at the boutique and entered the place, looking for her friend. "Rarity? You home?"

Spike ran up to her. "Korra! Thank goodness!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's Rarity! She's been sobbing since I got here. I tried to understand what she's saying but-."

"Let me try and talk to her." Korra followed the sobs to the curtain where Rarity had her Trenderhoof shrine and sat beside the sobbing unicorn. Her tears caused her mascara to run down her eyes.

"Rarity, sweetie what happened?" Korra gently stroked her mane. The unicorn lifted up her head and began speaking, her sobs making her words hard to understand.

"He-e-e d-d-do li-ike eh!"

Spike arched an eyebrow, "Hu?"

"She said; "He doesn't like me"." Korra translated.

"Who doesn't like her?"

Rarity cried again, "Tre-tre-end-er-ooff!"

"Trenderhoof?" Korra asked, rather surprised, "I thought you two were getting along great."

"A-Apple-ack-ruin-every-thi-i-ing!"

"Applejack? What did she do?"

Rarity finally stopped her sobbing and managed to speak normally, but while still with a deeply distressed tone, "_He doesn't like me because he has a crush on Applejack, even though I've had a crush on him ever since the beginning of time, and it's not fai-i-ir_!"

"He has a crush on Applejack?" Korra was rather surprised. Not at the fact that a pony would be smitten with Applejack or any other member of the Mane Six for that matter, they are all adorable ponies with wonderful personalities, but she was disappointed that the pony who did like Applejack was an old childhood flame of Rarity's. This was going to make things complicated for the four of them.

"Trenderhoof doesn't like you?" Spike asked, "That's ridiculous!"

Rarity sobbed as she gazed at the pictures of her dream stallion, "Oh, Spike, how could you ever know what it's like to be totally obsessed with a pony only to find out they're obsessed with somepony else?"

Both Korra and Spike shared the same 'are you kidding me' stare. This unicorn was almost as oblivious as a certain firebender they both knew. Korra placed her hand on Rarity's shoulder, "Rarity, I'm so sorry you're feeling hurt. But there really isn't anything you can do."

"Oh, Korra! You know what it's like to have the man of your dreams in the arms of another, _what do I do_?!"

"Well, you could just tell him the truth. Who knows, maybe what he feels for A.J. is just a temporary thing."

Rarity sniffed as she dried her eyes, "Do you think he'll like me then?"

"Well, I can't guarantee anything because-"

"I'll do it!" the unicorn zipped away to find her beloved, leaving a very concerned Korra and Spike behind.

"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Spike asked, but Korra didn't know what to answer.

(~)

Applejack was walking down the street with her basket of apples on her back, while a timid Trenderhoof hid behind an alley. Rarity spotted him and tried to confess how she felt.

"Trend, there you are! I need to tell you som-"

"There she is!" he interrupted, paying more attention to Applejack than his old friend. "Isn't she magnificent?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Anyway, I've been meaning to tell you, I-"

"Do you think she'll like me?" Trend asked, still oblivious to what Rarity was trying to say. "Should I go over and say 'hi'? Or should I wait until she passes by?"

"Um, Trend-"

"Does my breath smell?"

"Trenderhoo-"

"What if I bring her some flowers? Oh wait, does she like flowers? Daisies maybe?"

Rarity had had enough, she needed to say it and she needed to say it now.

"_I like you!_" Rarity slightly backed away at her outburst. She felt so embarrassed.

"What?" Trend asked, not having understood what she said due to her being so quick.

"I…I like you, Trend. A lot."

Trend was silent for a moment before smiling kindly. "I like you too Rarity."

The unicorn beamed, "You do?!"

"Of course…we're friends after all."

Rarity grunted in frustration before storming away. This unicorn was absolutely clueless. She felt so mad she wished she was a firebender and could burn something to the ground. "Applejack." she said the name with venom in her voice, "I mean, what could she possibly have that I don't?!"

That's when it hit her. If simply saying how she felt wasn't enough, maybe she should show it instead.

(~)

Applejack walked casually when Trend, having finally summoned the courage to speak to her, approached and began a conversation with the mare. Much to her surprise.

"You know, I have such respect for the work ethic of Earth ponies." he said, trying his best to sound charming.

Applejack politely smiled, "Uh, gee, thanks. Granny Smith always said, "Pick an apple a day and keep trouble away"."

"How many varieties of apples do you think there are?"

"Uh, on the farm or in all of Equestria? 'Cause—" she was interrupted when Trend levitated an apple to eat.

"I once had an apple so rare, they thought it was extinct. I ate four of them." he bit on the apple, accidentally making a few bits and even the juice to become splattered over A.J.'s face.

"Is that a fact?" she wiped the juice and bits away.

"That's my thing. I take the mundane, the simple, the unappreciated, and I make it relatable."

"Well, I hope you can relate to Ponyville."

Trenderhoof noticed that Applejack was walking farther and farther away but managed to catch up to her, still eager to impress the mare. He walked backwards in front of her. "Me too. But enough about me. I wanna know about you! What do apples mean to Applejack?"

A.J. may not be an expert when with comes to flirting, but that didn't mean she couldn't spy a desperate attempt when she saw one. She's seen what male ponies would do to impress a mare, and she could tell what this pony's attempt was from a mile away. And she was boy buying what he was selling. If she were to ever be with a stallion in her life, it would be one with manners and dignity, not this love sick puppy.

"Look, I'm glad you're interested in Ponyville 'n' all, but I'm kinda busy with my chores. And if I can't get 'em done, there won't be a Ponyville Days festival for you to write about."

"Well, that will never do!"

Applejack noticed her best friend Rarity, now wearing a bewailed stray-hat with a pink ribbon, a matching basket and pink country books. It was like a very country version of Rarity's style which, while nice to look at, certainly was new for her.

"Rarity, what are you wearing'?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"What, this old thing?" Rarity smiled proudly at her getup, for which Trend didn't even notice due to him still looking at A.J.

"Aren't you too busy plannin' the festival to keep makin' new outfits for it?"

"I am. But the thought of hauling apples inspired me, and I just couldn't stop myself!"

Applejack arched an eyebrow skeptically, "Really? You?"

"If there's one thing I love, it's hauling apples!"

"Since when?" Applejack muttered under her breath.

Trenderhood gazed dreamily at the orange pony, "I'm growing fond of it myself."

"Maybe you two should try it sometime." she muttered under her breath once more.

"I'm feeling a tad inspired." Trend then began to speak in poem, which only annoyed Applejack even more while Rarity swooned. "Without farm life, there'd be such disparity. These thoughts I think with great clarity. Apples high to the sky. She's the one of my eye. That fruit-hauling pony named... Applejack!"

Rarity's jaw dropped as did her heart. For a brief moment she thought he was talking about her. But no. What more was she to do?

(~)

Asami made a camera image with her hands as she instructed the two brothers who moves the tables. "A little to the right. No, the left. Just a little to the right. Perfect, right there!"

Mako and Bolin panted, having had to carry the tables for almost and hour. Team Avatar was helping Twilight and Fluttershy with the preparations of the festival. THe girls arranged the runway, the two winged ponies hovered above while Korra used her airbending.

Mako wiped the sweat firm his forehead, "Where's Rarity? She's the Pony of Ceremonies, shouldn't she be here?"

Speak of the dragon, Rarity appeared, looking bitter and distraught. Korra and the girls noticed and lowered down to greet her. "How'd it go with Trend?" Korra asked.

The unicorn screamed at the top of her lungs in frustration, the noise practically blowing their ears off.

"I'm guessing not so well." Korra wiggled her finger into her ear in hopes of getting rid of the ringing sound.

"I tried to tell him but he's utterly clueless! And he's still got his eyes on Applejack!"

"Well, Rare maybe he's just not interested in you that way." Korra said sincerely, "I never said there were any guarantees."

Rarity was far to upset to answer. Before Korra could sympathize further, Mako called out to them both. "Well, since you're here, mind helping us out with this fashion show of yours?"

Bolin took out some of the ribbons from a box for the stage and Korra, much to his surprise, used her airbending to arrange the decorations perfectly around the curtains of the runway.

"Wow! Somebody's been practicing." Mako said, impressed. His reaction caught Rarity's attention.

Korra simply shrugged her shoulders, "Airbending comes in handy at times." to help out, and to show off a bit more, she used her airbending to lift up more of the bows and ribbons and place them up around the curtain, they landed almost perfectly around. But then, she noticed one of them was crocked. "Fluttershy, little pegasistance, please?" The yellow pony adjusted the decoration perfectly, Korra gave her a thumbs up. "Perfect!"

Rarity was also impressed by this trick, but she was even more impressed with the way Mako looked at Korra in admiration. "Nice." he said, his eyes still glued to the Avatar.

Korra turned to her friend, "What do you think Rarity?….Rarity?" The unicorn was already gone. "Not again!"

(~)

"Rarity, why do you want to plow a field?" Spike asked.

Rarity had brought him to Apple Acres's field, where she hoped to impress Trend by proving she can do just as amazing and spectacular things Applejack can. She wanted him to look at her with the same eyes Mako had when he looked at Korra. However, the task was easier said than done, since she hadn't the slightest clue as to how to plow a field…or how the actual plow even worked.

"Is it me, or could this use a splash of color? And maybe a wash!"

"Don't we need to check on the gala decorations?" Spike asked, "Team Avatar's already working hard as it is."

"Yes, yes, of course, but Trend obviously has a thing for farm life. If I can't convince him that I'm just as much of a farm hoof as Applejack, I'll never get him interested in the festival."

Spike crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "The festival. Right." however, his attitude quickly changed once Rarity hugged him. Making him blush.

"And I do appreciate your help ever so much. I couldn't do a thing without you, Spikey-poo.'

"Well, that's what friends are for!" he said, trying to sound cool.

"Right, so." Rarity jumped onto the plow and pulled on the reins as if she were ridding a horse." she whipped the reins but nothing happened, "Come on! Farm... thing!" she whipped again but quickly sighed in dismay, "Oh, how does Applejack do it?"

"Well, it would help if the harness was on right!" Applejack came walking in with Trenderhoof at her side, much to her annoyance. "What are you doin'?"

"I am simply lending a hoof with the chores, which I love doing ever so much." she said with a dazzling smiled. But Applejack was not buying it while Trend had no idea what was really going on.

"Well if you're still interested _after_ the festival I can teach you all about it." Applejack placed the reins around her body, ready to pull on the plow, "But right now, I need to get the plowin' done, if you don't mind." she galloped away, pulling the blow along with her, causing Rarity to fall right off…and right into Trenderhoof's hooves.

"Not at all." she swooned….only to have Trend toss her aside in order to watch the strong and powerful Applejack blow the fields. It was the same look Mako gave to Korra when she did her new airbending tricks.

"She makes it look so easy." said Spike, just as amazed to see Applejack's raw power.

Trenderhoof sighed dreamily as he watched her work, "I know. Isn't she fantastic?"

This was not going as Rarity had planed. It seemed Trend was now more interested in Applejack more than ever! She needed to amp up her game.

(~)

After plowing, Applejack began bucking the apples. Trend clapped enthusiastically as he observed her work. This stallion was really starting to get on her nerves. She hoped ignoring him would be enough but, clearly, this guy did not take a hint at all. If he wasn't going to leave her alone, maybe another tactic would serve her justice. She in conspicuously rose up one of her hooves, stomping it to the ground, causing a patch of earth to rise up and knock trend a few feet away from her. She didn't harm him but hopefully this would be enough to lure him away from her. Sadly, it did not for he had gotten back up, not even caring, or acknowledging, what had happened. Apparently love did make some poise blind.

Rarity watched form afar as the stallion of her dreams admired Applejack. She needed to prove she was just as amazing as she was.

"I really don't see what the fuss is all about." she said as Applejack continued to work. The unicorn then tried to buck a secondary tree, but she only tapped it lightly with her front hoof, trying to see just how sturdy it was.

"Now, Rarity, you be careful. If you don't get the buckin' just right, you could sprain a hoof."

Rarity scoffed with her hose in the air, "I am perfectly familiar with the apple-bucking process, thank you very much. But while you seem to rely on raw power, I believe a certain amount of style is required." she batted her eyes at Trend, "It's really more of a dance, if you ask me. Much like my waterbending, it takes elegance and creativity."

The unicorn demonstrated this by twirling and humming before kicking the tree with her back back, allowing only one apple to fall and land perfectly on her basket.

"_Et voilà_!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, unimpressed, "Well, your way is definitely long on style, I'll give ya that much."

"Thank you." Rarity said, not getting the sarcasm.

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some more chores to do." Applejack began walking in the opposite direction, while Trend followed. She stopped midway and turned back, narrowing her eyes at him, "Inside!"

The country pony managed to get herself into the chicken coop to get the eggs, when in reality, she just wanted to get away from Trenderhoof as soon as possible. She hadn't the slightest idea how to reject a stallion's affections and, in al honesty, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He seemed like a nice fella and he was an old friend of Rarity's. She was in a dilemma alright,

Once A.J. was gone, Rarity had her chance alone time with Trend, who began asking her a question, "Rarity, can I ask you something?"

Rarity beamed. Maybe this was it, maybe her efforts did pay off after all. "Oh, why, Trend, you can ask me _anything_."

"I've been meaning to ask for a while, and frankly I'm sort of embarrassed."

She knew this was it. This was the moment she dreamed of. She would finally get that gaze she's been wanting for so long.

"Rarity… do you think... Applejack would be my date for the festival?"

Her hopes had died, along with her patience and tolerance. "Why don't you go ask her yourself?! Hmph!" she galloped away angrily, leaving a very confused Trend behind.

(~)

After a while, Applejack finally came out of the coop. She tiptoed by Trend, who was trying to buck apples himself, only to have one land on his horn. She took her chance to gallop into the barn and closed the doors behind her, sighing in relief.

"Whew! Well, that was close."

"If you've come to apologize, there's really no need." Rarity turned away from her friend. She was inside the barn, along with Applejack's brother Big Macintosh.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Let's dispense with the charade, shall we?"

Applejack knew exactly what her friend's dilemma was and she wanted to help her. "Listen, I know you really want Trend to like you—"

"And he does! Despite _somepony's_ best efforts!" Rarity exclaimed before having Big Mac placed a wagon filled with spare wheels inside and adjusted the strap onto her back.

"I swear I don't know why he's so interested me." Applejack said honesty, " I don't know anypony who's that interested in farmin'. Not even me! Besides, I don't even like him that way."

"And you shouldn't! I saw him first!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, here she was arguing with one of her best friends over a pony she wasn't even interested in. "Look, maybe instead of trying to impress Trend you should focus more on the festival you're preparin' for. Or should I say, our friends are?"

Rarity simply rose her nose up and pulled the wagon, "Well, I have a new vision for the festival," she said, her voice suddenly shifting from her normal Mid-Atlantic accent to a country accent mixed in, "and it's gonna be more country than the whole Apple family put together!"

As she left, Applejack and Big Mac shared concerned looks. "This won't end well, will it big brother?"

"Nnnnnnnope!"

(~)

The following day, The Mane Six and Team Avatar were gather at Rarity's boutique once more. This time, the fashion runway was decorated differently. The curtains looked like patched up hand me downs and there were specks of hay around the room. Bolin sneezed as some of the hey caught his nose.

"Um, isn't it a little late to be changing the theme of the festival?" Fluttershy asked.

"And after we put that incredibly large runway in the town square!" Mako exclaimed in annoyance, "I'm still getting glitter out of my hair!" he ruffled his spiky raven locks as more sparkles came falling down like glittering snowflakes.

"What has gotten into Rarity?" Rainbow asked, "It's not like her to just switch themes like this."

Before anyone could answer, Applejack came galloping in. "Applejack, what's going on?" Twilight asked.

"I'm too scared to guess."

"That makes two of us." said Korra.

The lights dimmed and the lights on the runway lit up, as a country version of Rarity was heard. The very sound of it made Korra cringe. This was not the Rarity she knew.

"Firstly, I just want to thank you all for comin', and second, I know y'all will all adore my new festival theme!"

Spike walked out in a straw hat while playing the banjo.

"Why is he playing the banjo?" Bolin asked, "Nobody likes the banjo!"

The curtain opened to reveal Rarity, her once beautiful mane was now messy, an old and worn stray hat rested on her head, her horn sticking out, and she wore dirty overalls. Behind her were farm animals, pigs and chickens, as well as stacks of hey, a wagon, pitch forks and horse shoes on the wall.

"Simple Ways!"

For a moment, everyone was silent. Words could not describe how wrong this was. What possessed Rarity to want to try a theme that was way out of her comport zone. The silence broke when the lights turned back on and Applejack, Korra and Mako started laughing hysterically at the scene. Applejack leaned on Flutteshy while Mako and Korra leaned one ache other, still laughing.

"Well? What's so funny?" Rarity asked, still in her bad country accent.

"Rarity, that is the silliest getup I have ever seen!" said Applejack, still laughing.

Korra had to cover her mouth to stop her giggles, "Wha-What were you thinking? This is so not you!"

"I have to agree!" Mako said, also trying his hardest not to laugh.

Even Fluttershy chuckled a bit, "It is a little funny."

"Fun-nay?" Rarity asked in confusion, still using her accent throughout.

Twilight Sparkle laughed as well, "Rarity, you aren't serious, are you?"

Bolin approached her and removed her straw hat, "You wouldn't be caught dead wearing this stuff."

Rarity angrily levitated the hat back and hit him in the head with it before placing it back onto her own head, "Well of course I'm serious–" realizing she had reverted back to her old voice, she cleared her throat and reverted back in country accent, Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Bolin's right." said Applejack, "You would never dress like that."

"You like fashion and high society and fancy things." all eyes shifted to Asami when she said this. "What?"

"And I can like plowin' fields and haulin' apples just as much."

"But you don't!" Korra stated.

"How do you know what I like?"

"Because we know you." said Applejack.

Rarity shoved her aside, "Wail, maybe you don't know me as well as you thank."

Korra crossed her arms, "Oh, really? And I suppose it's just a coincidence that Trenderhoof seemed so interested in country life, too?"

Mako shook his head in disbelief, "Wait, all of this is for a guy?! Are you kidding me?!"

Bolin muttered under his breath, "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

However, the three human teens did indeed hear him and gained up on the earthbender, "What's that suppose to mean?!" they exclaimed while narrowing their eyes.

"Nothing." he said in fear at their glaring eyes.

Korra dismissed it and squatted down to Rarity's level, "Rare, I'm sorry I gave you the wrong advice last time, but now I think you're taking this Trend thing way too far."

"I don't know what you're gittin' at!" Rarity protested, when deep down she did know but tried to deny it.

Korra could see straight through her. Clearly, talking was not going to be enough for this mare. Her sight was blinded by a childhood desire. There was only one thing she needed to do now. She stood up, crossing her arms looking at the pony sternly.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to show you!"

"Be my guest! Now, if you all will excuse me, I have a hootenanny of a festival to put on." the unicorn left the boutique, leaving a growling angry Korra behind.

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked. "The festival is tomorrow night."

"We don't have time to change everything into a country fest." said Applejack.

But Korra had an idea, "We're not changing anything. The festival will be exactly as originally intended."

"But what about Rarity?" Bolin asked.

"For now, everyone just keep on working on the preparations, while I handle little miss southern belle."

The friend all looked at her with concern. "You sure Korra?" Mako asked, "Last time you spoke with her-"

"I know I made a mistake." said the Avatar, "But I know exactly what I need to do now. Just trust me."

The friends decided to comply, after all the decorations and everything was already halfway done, they couldn't change everything at the last minute. And the determination in Korra's eyes was enough to convince everyone. They nodded in agreement before walking out to get back to work, only Applejack remained.

"What are you planin'?" she asked the Avatar, who smirked.

"I've got a plan to snap our Rarity back. But I'm gonna need your help."

"I'm all ears."

(~)

At Sweet Apple Acres, Spike listed things on a clipboard while Rarity was speaking to a row of young fillies who would be modeling for her fashion show. They would be demonstrating the youthful designs.

"Now, to be a model in the Simple Ways fashion show, you might think "simple" means "less is more". Well, that just ain't so. If you want to be real simple, more is _more_."

She levitated an old stray hat, a patch of dirk with nearly dead flowers, a pair of worn out overalls and two green galoshes. She placed them onto Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister, much to her and the other fillies' horror. The outfit was dreadful and unlike the fabulous Rarity Ponyville knew.

"Now, y'all go off and make yourselves look just like that."

The very confused fillies left the barn, while Apple Bloom struggled to move in her new getup. The unicorn turned to Spike, "Who's our next mo_del_ for the fashion show?"

Spike read the next name on the clipboard, squinting his eyes as he read the name, "Um… Apple... Jewel?"

"Who the hay is that?"

The lights all of a sudden dimmed and tango music played. A spotlight shined onto the stage as a new pony emerged in a stunning pink and aqua dress, her golden mane styled upwards, decorated with a stunning apple-shaped jewel with a pink and aqua stone.

It was Applejack!

Rarity could not believe her eyes, since when did Applejack behave like…well, like she use too?

None the less, Applejack really ruled the runway. She walked with an elegance that Rarity had never seen. She even gave them a pouty sassy look as a final pose.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Rarity asked in disbelief. This had to be some silly prank.

Applejack opened her mouth, but instead of sounding like her country self, she spoke in an upper-class accent throughout, which was very unlike Applejack. "Why, Rarity, whatever would make you think I was joking?"

Rarity's voice temporarily reverted back to normal, "Because you would never wear an ensemble like that. You like plowing fields and hauling apples—"

"And I can like fashion just as much." she said, poking her hoof at Rarity's hat, only to have her adjust it latter.

"But you don't!"

Applejack held her nose up high, "Well, maybe you do not know me as well as you think."

Rarity's voice reverted back to her usual country version, not knowing that somebody else was just outside of the barn, snickering as she listened to the event.

"Fine. But I got a whole festival to plan, so if you're goin' to start modelin', just get on with it!"

Applejack smiled and commenced her plan, speaking in her upper-class voice as she admired her mane and gown, "Life is a festival, and you should celebrate it by looking just like me! Because I'm a trend-setting fashionista!"

Oh, that was enough to snap Rarity's twig. "_You're_ a trend-setting fashionista?! Why, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever– I mean…" she reverted back to her country voice and began to scratch her ear like a street dog, "Good for you. I, on the other hoof, couldn't care less how I look, long as I get the chores done." she tapped her nose, giving a stupid look while braying like a mule.

Applejack walked down the runway, smiling mischievously, "Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, indeedy-doodle!"

"Not me! My mane needs to be perfectly coiffed at all times." Applejack admired herself in the mirror.

Rarity angrily removed her hat, exposing her dirty and unbrushed hair, "Well, my mane is full of dust and split ends."

Applejack looked at her remarkably clean hooves, "My hooves are so polished, you can see your reflection in them." she bragged.

"My hooves are cracked and dry from working in the fields!" Rarity showed her her own dirty hooves.

"I'm _so_ fashion-forward."

"I wear droopy drawers!"

"I smell like rosebuds."

"_I love being covered in mud!" _

Rarity finally snapped as she jumped right into the dirty pig pile. Spike watched in shock as a bit of the mud landed on Applejack's dress. Once Rarity spotted this, something happened.

All of a sudden, everything was clear. She forgot to speak in her country accent, she forgot what she had been trying to prove this whole time. Seeing such a stunning piece of art become suddenly damaged awoke something within the pony's subconscious. And worse, it was a stain on a gown one of her friends wore. A gown that made her look so beautiful, which was exactly what she always wanted her friends to feel. Beautiful in their own skin, just like herself.

"Goodness! Your couture!" Rarity rushed out of the mud pile and tried to remove the stain with her hooves, "Ooh, it's bad." she then realized she had dirt on herself as well, "Will somepony bring me a towel to wipe this repulsive filth from my hooves?!"

Applejack's voice reverted to normal and she hugged her old friend, "There's the Rarity I know! Your plan worked like a charm Korra!"

To Rarity's surprise, Korra stepped forward into the barn, "Told you."

"Korra?! I knew I had a feeling there was someone else around."

"You did." Korra said, "But you were so caught up with your own thing you didn't take the time to really see what was right in front of you."

It was then, Rarity realized the truth. This whole thing was a way to snap her out of her crazy infatuation with Trend, and to realize who she really was.

"Oh, Korra, Applejack, I'm sorry I said all those things. You're both true friends who probably knows me better than I know myself. I don't know what I was thinking wearing this ridiculous outfit."

"I kinda know how you feel." said Applejack.

"Oh, but you were just trying to help me see how silly I was being. And you were right. I was so obsessed with having somepony look at me in a specific way that I-"

Korra squatted down to her level and removed Rarity's hat, "Rarity, anyone can look at you and say 'wow!', but somebody who loves you just the way you are, will not only be amazed by what you do or how you look…but also for who you are _inside_. It's the meaning behind the look that should matter the most. You're the pony who showed me that before, remember?"

"That's right." Rarity realized, "I always said you were beautiful just by being you. Maybe I let my inner filly get the best of me. And Applejack, you certainly made a great effort for me. Besides, that gown looks just gorgeous on you. I wish I hadn't ruined it."

"Thanks! It's nice, ain't it?"

"It's magnificent! Wherever did you get it?"

Applejack winced, "Oh, it's, uh, one of yours."

Korra winced as well, she knew what was coming next. Rarity quickly grabbed Spike, "I'll need three gallons of boiling water and one ounce of detergent, stat!"

The little dragon ran out to fetch the items, when Trenderhoof walked in, now wearing overalls and a stray hat.

"I'm moving to Ponyville!" he announced, much to the girls' surprise. "Being the most interesting pony in Equestria is exhausting. I want to leave my exotic, exciting life behind and live on a farm!"

"What?!" the three girls exclaimed in shock. They were never getting rid of him now.

Applejack was probably the most worried, "Well, that's real nice, but I sure hope you weren't thinkin' of Sweet Apple Acres."

Trenderhoof's shoulders dropped in disappointment, "Oh."

Applejack knew she couldn't keep this up any longer. She needed to tell this pony what needed to be done. "Uh, look, you're a fine pony, but, uh, I'm, well uh…"

Before she could continue, Rarity stepped forward, "I think what Applejack is trying to say is that there's something unappealing about a pony who'd change themselves so much just to impress somepony else. If somepony doesn't like you for who you are, it's their loss."

Korra smiled proudly at her friend, having learned her lesson. Even Trenderhoof understood the wisdom of the words. Maybe he had come a bit too strongly and instead of interesting Applejack, he only pushed her farther away.

"Well, this is awkward."

"Not at all." Rarity smiled, "In fact, I think I know just how you feel."

Suddenly, another friend popped in, "So, everything okay on this end?"

"Mako? What are you doing here?" Korra asked.

"I came to tell you everything's all set for tonight."

Rarity then gasped in horror, "Oh my ribbons and threads! The festival! Oh, what was I thinking? There's no time to change the theme now!"

"Rarity, relax." said Applejack, "While you were actin' all love-sick crazy, Korra and the rest of us took care of everythin'."

(~)

"Presenting; "Small Town Chic"!"

Korra removed her hands from Rarity's eyes and she gasped in awe. The entire placed looked exactly as she had imagined, if not better. The teens even made a bold move as to add flowers from their world into the setting.

"I hope you don't mind, I got Tenzin to let us use some flowers from the island." said Korra.

Rarity was at a loss for words. "I…I don't know what to say. You all did this for me?"

"Of course we did!" said Rainbow Dash.

"We were happy to help." said Fluttershy.

"Speak for yourself." said Mako, "I'll be getting glitter out of my for weeks." he wiggled his ear, only to have said glitter fall from his ear.

"This is perfect!" said Rarity, "I can't thank you all enough! Well, maybe there is one way." with her waterbending, Rarity began levitating the water from the pond and froze it on the center table, creating various ice sculptures of all of her friends in a matter of seconds. The friends felt touched by this gesture.

"For the wonderful friends who not only know when to get me back to my senses…but who always look at me as the unicorn I am. Inside."

It didn't take long for everyone to gather in a group hug around Rarity. While she may not have gotten the romantic glance she had hopped for, the genuinely loving glances she received from her friends was more than enough. Trend was a tad hesitant to join in as well, but Rarity assured him he was welcomed into her circle of friends. And so, he did join.

Once the hug ended, Rarity remembered another thing, "Oh, I almost forgot. I may have mentioned that Korra would sing tonight."

"Me?"

"If you'e still up for it, that is."

Korra smiled in return.

(~)

"_Organizing the Ponyville Day celebration was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I learned an important lesson. Real friends will like you for who you are, and changing yourself to impress them is no way to make new ones. And when you're as fabulous as I am, it's practically a crime!" _

And so, the celebration went as planed. The festival was a lovely high class celebration with dancing and merriment. Bolin danced with the rest of the Mane Six while Korra and Mako danced with each other. Applejack too with Granny Smith when Trenderhoof came, asking for a dance. Only, instead of Applejack, he asked Granny Smith. Applejack smiled, maybe he wasn't such a bad pony after all.

Asami was a bit lonely standing in a corner when both brothers, Mako and Bolin asked her to dance at the same time. She kindly accepted the kind offer to dance with the two dashing young men.

Meanwhile, Rarity's fashion show was a big hit. She modeled her lovely blue gown she had made as the ponies applauded. Once she returned back stage, Korra clapped for her.

"That was great, Rarity. They loved it!"

"This never would have happened without your help."

"So, did you and Trend work things out?"

"Yes, I explained everything and once I did, I realized he's not the same pony I once knew back then. Just as I'm not the same either. I always thought I needed a pony who would treat me like a princess, but I suppose that's not real love. If I am to ever find somepony, it should be one who treats me as a friend first. Someone who will know when to encourage me, but also when to put me back down."

Korra smiled proudly, "I'm happy to hear that. So, you ready to rock this thing?"

Rarity smirked, "Try and stop me."

The two girls stepped out into the runway, Korra saluted to Vinyl Scratch, who adjusted the music to a much more pop tone. Rarity magically removed her gown, showing that underneath the skirt was a pair of bejeweled pants, similar to Korra's current outfit. Spike tossed a pair of microphones and the two sang to the crowd.

(Only you can be you by Cymphonique Miller)

**Korra;**

_Hey, you, what's the matter?_

_Baby, you've been looking down_

_Is that someone in the mirror, the reason you don't come around?_

**Rarity;**

_Baby, that's crazy_

**Korra;**

_This isn't the you I know_

**Rarity;**

_Feeling un-pretty_

**Korra;**

_Putting on a show_

**Rarity;**

_You don't wanna be a wannabe_

**Korra;**

_So who you really gonna be?_

**Korra and Rarity;**

_Only you and be you_

_Only I can be me_

_You always wanna be what you're not_

_Can't you be happy with what you got?_

_You're perfect the way you are!_

_With your insecurities, doubts and scars._

_Life's too short to worry_

_Don't you know it's true_

_Only you can be you_

_(You can be you)_

_Only I can be me_

_(I can be me)_

_Only I you can be you_

_(You can be you)_

_Only I can be me_

**Rarity;**

_I can be me_

Korra began rapping the next part as everyone danced to the beat, clapping their hands and hooves.

**Korra;**

_If you love who you are, put your hooves up_

_You feeling good 'bout yourself, then stand up_

_You independent and you're strong, throw your hooves up_

_You feeling fabulous? Put your hooves up_

_You can be you, I can be me_

_You're a star, is what I see_

_You tall, you short, you different, you cute_

_You light, you dark, you beautiful_

_You!_

The rest of the Mane Six and Team Avatar came up onto the stage and sang along to the chorus.

_Only you and be you_

_Only I can be me_

_You always wanna be what you're not_

_Can't you be happy with what you got?_

_You're perfect the way you are!_

_With your insecurities, doubts and scars._

_Life's too short to worry_

_Don't you know it's true_

_Only you can be you_

_(You can be you)_

_Only I can be me_

_(I can be me)_

_Only I you can be you_

_(You can be you)_

_Only I can be me_

(~)

_"Only you can be you. Only I can be me. Yeah! Oh, I love that song. Well, Rarity certainly learned the importance about being true to yourself. And also, that real love should come from within, and not just from what outside._

_Hope to see you next tome for another installment of;_

Tales of Equestria!


	9. Pinkie Pride

_"Hello everybody!_

_Why am I wearing a party hat, you ask?_

_Well, today is Rainbow Dash's birthday!_

_And who better to plan the celebration than our very own, Pinkie Pie! Oh, yes. That little pony certainly has a talent for making friends smile. Bet there aint no pony else like her in all of….oh, wait. Actually, there was this one pony who nearly took Pinkie's thunder._

_Want to hear the tale?_

_Well, it all started in Ponyville, and Pinkie Pie was ac cheerful as ever,_

_*(~)*_

_**Proverbs 15:13 ~**_

_A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit._

_*(~)*_

**Pinkie Pride**

Like every day in Equestria, the always lovable Pinkie Pie trotted joyfully, spreading nothing but cheer and smiles wherever she went. It was her life's goal to make everypony smile. Not only that, but she had even gotten her two human friends Bolin and Ikki to help her as well. They carried bags of streamers and inflated balloons, while Pinkie carried hers in her saddle bag. The confetti inside sprayed outwards, almost on its own.

"Wow, Pinkie." said Ikki, "You sure got a lot of party stuff. What's all this for?"

"You'll see Ikki!" the pony responded with a dazzling smile, "If there is one thing I always make sure of, it's that every party is filled with smiles all around!

Music filled the air as she sang her heart out,

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Every single day there's something new you can plan for_

_Every single day there's something wonderful to do_

As she sang she summersaulted, using her airbending to release streamers onto the roof of houses in a lovely fashion.

_But nothing makes me happy like a day that I can say_

_"Today I planned a party, and it's just for you!"_

The three friends stopped in front of a Vendor pony who was selling streamers.

"How's it going today, Pinkie?" he asked.

"Great, thanks! Got any streamers today?"

The Vendor Pony chuckled as he handed her a roll of streamers, "You betcha! Big party planned?"

"Don't you know it!" Pinkie said once the roll of streamers rolled onto her bag.

"So what is the party for?" Bolin asked, "You still haven't told us."

"Well duh! Then it wouldn't be a surprise not would it."

"Is it for us?!"

"No, silly!"

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Don't have much time to gather all the things I need_

_If I'm really gonna make this party fly_

Pinkie Pie leaped from roof to roof as she sang.

_For today's another day that all of Ponyville will say_

**Crowd;**

_There goes the super party pony Pinkie Pie!_

Mr. and Mrs. Cake walked along with their babies napping in their stroller.

**Mr. and Mrs. Cake;**

_She planned our first foal shower where we played all sorts of games_

_Having so much fun as we chose Pound and Pumpkin's names_

As they sang, Bolin cooed at the little foals. "Aww, aren't you cure little-Ow!" Bolin ran off once Pound Cake bit his finger.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon watched Pinkie Pie gallop away as they drank milkshakes, one which Diamond too from her supposed best friend.

**Diamond Tiara;**

_She planned my cute-ceañera my dad made me, I won't lie_

_I demanded all the best, I suppose she passed the test_

_Sure it was pretty good all thanks to Pinkie Pie_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Thanks, I guess?"

"What color paints do you need?" asked another vendor pony, this time felling art supplies. He spoke in a french accent.

"I'm gonna need the full rainbow!" Pinkie said cheerfully while the colors were poured into her bag.

"A paintbrush too?"

"Yes, if you please!"

A female unicorn vendor pony selling banners asked, "And what from me?"

"Your biggest banner! This party's gonna be the best!"

"Haha I don't doubt it!" the unicorn smiled when Pinkie placed a hat over her horn.

As Pinkie went from vendor pony to vendor pony, buying everything she needed while Bolin and Ikki assisted with the things she bought.

**Bolin;**

_Pinkie Pie's a mystery, but a real fun to say_

**Ikki;**

_I'm betting there's not other pony with a heart as big and bright as day!_

**Crowd;**

_Every single day there's something new we can plan for_

_Every single day there's something wonderful to try_

_But nothing makes us happy like a day that we can say_

_"Today there'll be a party planned by Pinkie Pie!"_

In front of Sugar Cue corner, Pinkie Pie was already working on the banner while the Mane Six, the rest of Team Avatar and even the airbender kids watched in amazement as she joyfully painted the banner with all of her love and creativity.

**Rarity; **

"I don't know how she does it."

**Jinora; **

"Wow, look at her go!"

**Applejack; **

"Oh, boy! This is gonna be good!"

**Meelo; **

"Go, Pinkie, go!"

**Crowd;**

_There's no other pony like her, no pony that could be_

_As great! (As great!) As fun! (As fun!)_

_As our super party pony Pinkie!_

As the song came to close, Twilight and Rarity levitated the banner and Pinkie Pie showered balloons and confetti everywhere.

Pinkie Pie jumped happily and ruffled Rarity's mane, "Ooh, I am so, so, _SO_ excited because today I'm planning the birthday bash of... _Rainbow Dash_!"

"Yeah!" the rainbow pegasus posed in the same position she was drawn on the banner and high hoofed her pink friend.

Bolin finally out two and two together, "Oooooooh, that explains all of the rainbow colors."

Mako rolled his eyes at his brother's denseness, while Asami simply giggled. It was kind of adorable when Bolin was clueless.

Then, almost suddenly, Pinkie Pie's tone grew serious. "Rainbow Dash."

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"You realize that, by enlisting me as your party planner, I guarantee that this is going to be the funnest, most fantabulous, superbial party in Ponyville?" as she said all of this, she literally gained up on Rainbow Dash and she was now on the ground, feeling somewhat concerned for Pinkie's sternness.

"Uh…yeah? I guess."

"No guesses! Parties are no picnic."

"Except when they are." Korra pointed out, "Remember that one you made for us at Air Temple Island?"

"I like a nice picnic party." said Fluttershy, who then backed away when Pinkie started growling with her ears lowered and eyes narrowed. "Oh…never mind." she dashed away.

Pinkie turned back to Rainbow Dash underneath her, "Parties. Are. Serious! And you have my certified Pinkie Party Promise" she literally stuck a cupcake in her eye, "that you will have the best birthday party ever!""

Rainbow cringed, "Okay."

"Great!" and Pinkie returned back to her old self once more, "Now, who's ready to join this super duper party pony to plan this super duper part-y?"

"I am."

Everypony gasped once they spotted a strange and mysterious orange colored stallion, leaning against the wall of a house. His body was covered in a grey-colored poncho and wore a grey-colored hat over his face, and a party horn in his mouth. The humans looked at him skeptically, who was this pony? And why was everybody else to shocked to see him?"

Meelo stood up tall, addressing to the new character. "Who are you, stranger?"

The pony spit out the party horn before speaking. His mane and tail were chocolate brown and curly, almost as curly as Pinkie's and as he walked away from the house, it was revealed he was carrying a rubber chicken on his back. His voice was deep and serious.

"Name's Cheese Sandwich. I plan parties."

"What an amazing coincidence! I'm Pinkie Pie, and _I'm_ planning a party!"

Ikki stepped froward, smiling widely, "She's the best there is!"

"Oh, it's no coincidence, my little pony." said the stallion.

"Ohh! He said it!" Bolin exclaimed excitedly, reining confused looks from the rest, "What?"

"My cheesy sense was a-tingling, telling me a party was in the works."

"A cheesy sense?" Pinkie asked, already becoming fascinated with this new pony, "Ah! Double amazing! I have a Pinkie Sense!"

"Yes. I sensed you did." the stallion said in a serious tone, his hat was tilted up a bit, showing his green eyes, "And I happen to be the premiere party planner in all of Equestria. If there's a party in need, there I'll be. Be it wingding, hoedown, hootenanny, or shindig, I'm your pony."

Bolin looked at him with wide eyes, "Wow….I'm bored!"

Pinkie Pie hoped along towards him, excited to meet another party planning pony, "A pair of party pony planners in Ponyville?! What can be more perfect?!"

"I'll tell you what" said Rainbow Dash, "- making this party epic! 'Cause this isn't just _any_ birthday. It's also the anniversary of when I moved to Ponyville!"

"Wait, you moved here on your birthday?" Mako asked curiously, "Really?"

"You know it, city boy!"

"Good heavens, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said with a smile, "It's your "birth-iversary"!"

"Exactly! So what do you say, party planners?" she said to the two ponies, "Think you're up for the challenge."

Korra crossed her arms, smiling proudly, "If anypony can throw an epic party, it's Pinkie Pie."

"Oh, I think we can do it!" Pinkie said while hopping, but Cheese Sandwich shook his head.

"Oh, I don't _think_ so."

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gasped until...

"I _know_ so!" suddenly, Cheese Sandwich's voice no longer sounded low and serious, but hyper and energetic. He removed his poncho and hat, revealing his really curly brown mane and wore a yellow shirt, revealing a cutie mar depicting a cheese sandwich styled into the form of an accordion. The hat and poncho landed on Meelo, who quite liked his new look.

"I did not see that coming." Asami said, amazed to see the sudden shift in the pony's character.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

"After all…"

_The super-duper party pony–that pony is me_

_I always knew that was the kind of pony I would be_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Me too!"

Mako quickly covered his ears, "Oh, boy!"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

Come on, ponies! Who here likes to party?" he hugged an elderly pony, "Ha-ha! You do! I can tell!"

_When I was but a little colt, I just wanted to play_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Like me!"

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_But everypony told me, "Cheese, that fun just wastes the day"_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"As if!"

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_But when I threw a party and I busted out some moves_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Uh-huh!"

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_The ponies finally saw the light and got into the groove_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"You know it!"

Korra whispered to Mako, "I think those two are gonna get along."

"No, really?" Mako asked sarcastically.

Cheese then started to play an accordion, dressed as a mountain german.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_The super-duper party pony–that pony is me_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"And me!"

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_You'll never meet another party pony quite like Cheese!_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Uh, Pinkie?"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"Hey, good-lookin', want some mayonnaise?"

_My parties are all off the hook_

_I never plan them by the book_

_I start out fun, then whoopsie-daisy_

_Everybody just gets crazy!_

_Bored of snacks made by your mom?_

_How about a giant party bomb?_

_Huge piñatas filled with cake_

_Or dive into my fruit punch lake!_

_The super-duper party pony–that pony is me_

_You'll never meet another party pony quite like Cheese_

As he sang along, playing his accordion (his words matching his antics at that moment), every pony in town was smiling broadly. This stallion certainly lived up to his name and loved doing his job. Even the airbender kids danced along to the silliness, enchanted by the comedy and joy this pony brought. However, Korra was soon realizing how out of the loop Pinkie was feeling. It was then that her joy and enthusiasm began to die down a bit.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_Oh, when I throw a Cheese party, be sure to not be lame_

_And miss my pie fights, wacky kites, and streamers in your mane_

_Fizzy drinks, Hawaiian shirts, and brie fondue delight_

_You know that with Cheese Sandwich, you'll be partying all night!_

**Rainbow Dash; **

"C'mon, everypony! Let's party down with Cheese!"

A mini stamped trampled over Pinkie, completely ignoring her. Even Bolin, Asami Ikki, Meelo and Jinora joined in, but Korra and Mako were left behind, looking down at a concerned Pinkie Pie.

**Jinora; **

"You're really a certified party pony?"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"That's right! That's my guarantee!"

_The super-duper party pony–that pony is me-e-e-e-e_

The new stallion was carried away by the other ponies, leaving behind a very depressed and lonely Pinkie.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_But what about the super party pony named Pinkie...?_

She sat on the ground, feeling depressed, when her dear Avatar kneeled down and stroked her curly pink mane. Even Mako sat down to comfort her. They were the only ones who remained with her.

(~)

Rainbow Dash flipped through the air in excitement, "Yeah! Hah, now _that's_ what I'm talking about! I'm so stoked you're here, Cheese Sandwich!"

"Yeah. You sure did come on the right day." said Applejack.

"Your party sounds simply divine." said Rarity.

Ikki skipped along as the ponies continue to carry Cheese Sandwich, "Is there going to be a large cake, a lots, and lots of candy, and party games and confetti everywhere and balloons?"

"You know it, little one!" he winked.

"Wow! We're so lucky to have you here." said Bolin.

"I'll say!" Twilight agreed.

"Just doing my job, little fillies." he said happily.

Pinkie Pie managed to catch up with the rest, with Korra and Mako alongside her, while Rainbow flew beside Cheese, "I mean, Pinkie Pie's parties are fun and sweet and all, but now this party's gonna be-"

"Epic?"

"You said it! Oh, yeah!" she and Cheese high hoofed while Pinkie Pie watched sadly from afar. Korra narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat, loud enough for Rainbow to hear her.

"Ahem!"

Rainbow heard and realized that Pinkie was right behind them. "Uh, heh, no offense, Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie didn't want anybody to know just how hurt she felt, so she wiped away her tears with her tongue, "Uh, n-none taken." she squeed.

Korra couldn't bare to see her friend so depressed and so she took it upon herself to make sure that she would manage to plan Rainbow's party. But once the crowd grew farther away, Pinkie Pie walked off in the other direction, hanging her head sadly.

"Pinkie!" she ignored Korra's cries and walked away. Korra narrowed her eyes, "I don't know who this Cheese guy is, but-"

"Didn't he just sing a whole musical number, describing exactly who he is?" Mako stated.

Korra face palmed herself, "You know what I mean!"

"What's the big deal? He's just planing Rainbow's party."

"Did you not see how heartbroken Pinkie was?! Party planning his _her_ job and I am not letting some flamboyant pony in a poncho take that from her!"

Mako tried to get her to listen to reason, but once Korra sets her mind on something, there was only so much one could do to change her opinion. "Korra, I understand your frustration. You care about Pinkie Pie, but maybe you're both looking at this the wrong way."

Korra groaned in annoyance, "You know what, forget it." she walked away in a huff, leaving Mako behind.

"Korra!"

(~)

Meanwhile, Cheese Sandwich was already working on Rainbow's party. With the assistance from the other ponies, they made a stage with a flashy banner with Rainbow's face, hangers with rainbow lightning bolts of avery color and balloons in the form of her cutie mark/

"My birth-iversary's already looking _way_ cooler!" Rainbow said excitedly while Cheese supervised everything while looking at his clipboard, "You are my kind of party pony, Cheese Sandwich."

Cheese chuckled as the two but heads playfully, "You got that right, Rainbow Dash." he then turned to the other ponies, working hard on constructing the event, "All right, party ponies, I've got some planning to do!"

Everyone cheered, even the airbender kids, Bolin and Asami. Mako approached them, looking depressed. Bolin approached him, smiling broadly. "Hey, Mako! Where've ya been, you're missing out! Cheese is totally amazing, he's got this big punch bowl the size of a pool, a jumping castle, Rainbow-sized balloons!'

Mako blinked, "Wow. As if Rainbow didn't already have enough boosting her ego."

"Oh, don't be such a party popper! Hey, where are Pinkie and Korra? Aren't they gonna help out."

"That's actually what I needed to tell you. Pinkie's kinda feeling threatened and Korra's not to happy about it."

"Threatened by what? By Cheese? No way, he's awesome! He's loads of fun, and charismatic, and creative, and everypony already loves him and almost completely forgot about Pinkie Pie's original efforts to make this party specia-okay, I'm seeing your point." he shoulders dropped, as his his enthusiasm.

(~)

Korra finally caught up with Pinkie Pie, who was sitting down sadly at the drone of Sugar Cube Corner. The banner she had made for Rainbow fell down, making her feel even more upset.

"Pinkie! There you are."

"Oh, hey Korra." she said sadly as the Avatar sat beside her.

"Hey, I'm really sorry things didn't turn out the way you hoped."

"I guess Cheese is just a better party pony than me."

"Don't say that, you know it's not true."

"Pinkie!" another familiar voice was heard. Pinkie couldn't let anybody else know who depressed she was feeling, so she immediately took a watering can and watered the plants. Well, she missed the plants and was only watering the ground, while wearing a fake smile.

Twilight walked up to the two, while levitating two flags styled to look like Rainbow's cutie mark, "There you are. Hey, Korra."

"Hey, Twilight."

"Aren't you gonna help Cheese Sandwich plan the party?" she asked the pink pony.

"That's okay." she said, trying her best to sound as happy about the whole thing than she actually did. "He obviously has what it takes to do it all by himself. Heh." she smiled, letting all of the water from the can fall on practically anything except the plants themselves.

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, indeedy!" Pinkie chuckled nervously.

"Well, Korra you wanna come and help?" she then realized that Korra wasn't looking to happy. She looked more concerned actually. "Is something wrong?"

Korra opened her mouth to explain, but was silenced when Pinkie placed her hoof over her mouth. "No, no! Nothing!" she smiled widely, and Twilight arched an eyebrow before leaving the two behind.

Korra removed Pinkie's hoof from her mouth, "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry."

"Pinkie, you shouldn't let Cheese get you down like this."

"No, it's fine." she said unconvincingly, "After all, if Cheese really is the super duperiest partying-est pony of them all, maybe that means... I'm... not."

"No! You're the best there is!"

"That's what I thought." Pinkie Pie placed the watering can down and walked away in depression.

"Pinkie, wait!"

"I just want to be alone right now."

Korra hesitated, she hated seeing her friend suffer like this. But, she respected her wishes. She didn't know what else to say except for…

"Never forget!" Pinkie stopped and turned to look at her. "Never forget who you really are, Pinkie Pie."

"Thanks…"

With that, Korra turned away, sadly leaving her friend to think. She didn't know what else to do, but something was telling her that maybe the pony really did need some time to think things over. She just hoped she said the right thing.

She said what was in her heart.

(~)

Pinkie walked along, sighing sadly as more ponies walked pass her. Her heart sank at the thought that she may never make ponies happy again. She always thought there was no other pony who could make others smile but herself. Clearly she had been wrong. Korra's words still rang in her head. To never forget who she truly was. But who was she now? If she couldn't be the best at what she did, then maybe there was no point to it after all. She looked down into the water, letting a single tear fall, creating a colorful ripple.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_For all my life, all I've wanted to do_

_Was make my friends want to smile true_

_But maybe I was wrong_

_And Pinkie Pie shouldn't plan parties at all_

She figured if she couldn't be a party pony anymore, she figured she could try other works.

First she tried being a surgeon, but there was no room for cupcakes during an operation. She then tried being a mail pony, but not everypony liked getting shot in the face with confetti when getting their mail. She even tried being a construction worker, but building with balloons wasn't gonna cut it. Plus, it was a safety hazard.

_I'll try to get up on my hooves_

_And try a different task_

_I'll find something new to do_

_There's gotta be more to me than planning a party or two_

At home, she started getting rid of all the fun party things she owned.

_I put away my party cannon, I deflated all my balloons_

_The bubbles all burst, now what is next for you?_

_For you..._

She looked at her wall, noticing all of the pictures, each one depicting a specific moment in time where she made ponies smile. Seeing all of the images suddenly ignited something within her very soul.

"Oh, I remember this one: my first party ever. My whole family was there."

"And that's Twilight's welcome-to-Ponyville party. She didn't even expect that one."

"Oh, look at Gummy! He just looks so excited for this birthday party!"

"Hmm. Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding sure was special, especially once _I_ got a hold of the music."

"Oh, hey! There's the picnic we all shared at Air Temple Island with Korra!"

"And there's the party we all had after she got her bending back!"

The pony's spirits slowly grew once more, realizing her previous foolishness.

_Oh, look at those happy faces_

_All the parties that I had thrown_

_I made them laugh, had such a blast_

_A smile that's all their own_

_They loved seeing me, the real Pinkie_

She opened the doors, heading to the balcony.

_Show them the time of their life like they've never known_

_Like they've never kno-o-own_

That was it! She needed to show everyone who she truly was. She was no quitter, she was a party pony, and that is exactly what she was going to do.

_I've got to get back out there, have to show them that I've tried_

_For there's only one great party pony - that is Pinkie Pie_

_Won't let Cheese Sandwich beat me, won't let him get me down_

_For I am Pinkie, the bestest party pony around!_

_(~)_

Korra hatted to confess but….Cheese Sandwich really was a good party planner. Everything he did was truly amazing and depicted Rainbow Dash perfectly. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit this for she still wished Pinkie would have been here. Although, she did think Cheese's party was more elaborate than Pinkie's could have been. Still, the celebration would be even better if she had incorporated her ideas into it as well.

"I must say I marvel at Cheese Sandwich's superior party planning expertise." said Rarity to Applejack.

"Well, they don't call him the super duper party planner for nothin'."

From afar, Pinkie Pie listened in on their conversation and was now more determined than ever to prove once and for all who the superior party pony really was.

"That's it! This pony has gotta get her title back! And I know just what to do!"

Korra leaned against a tree, the levees shadowing her face, when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Hey, Avatar Korra!"

Korra jerked up when she spotted the stallion walk up to her. "What do you think? Pretty epic hu?"

Korra couldn't bare to say the truth, so instead she shrugged, "It's okay…I guess."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Pinkie Pie is, would you?"

"Why do you want to know?" Korra asked.

"Well, she seemed to excited to help with the party and I was hoping to hear her ideas."

This revelation caught Korra completely by surprise, "You…you did?"

"Yeah! I may be a good party pony but even a good one is always open to new ideas!" his ears then lowered in sadness, "Too bad, I was really looking forward to see what she had in mind."

"Wait, wait, wait, you mean you didn't do all of this just to upstage Pinkie?"

"What? No, of course not! I hardly meet many other party ponies, and I thought she'd be impressed with my ideas too. I didn't mean to make her feel left out."

Korra now realized how silly she had been acting. She was so quick to side with Pinkie she didn't think about Cheese's side. Mako was right.

"I'm really sorry for accusing you like that. I just hatted seeing Pinkie so down."

"Well, why don't you bring her over? I can't wait to hear what she says about-"

"Freeze, Cheese!"

Korra and Cheese Sandwich heard a voice of an angry Pinkie Pie. Asami and Bolin separated, surprised to see an angry Pinkie Pie standing behind them her eyes narrowed at the stallion.

"I challenge you... _**to a goof off!**_"

All of the Mane Six, and Spike, gasped in horror.

"Oh, no! Not a goof off!" Fluttershy cried out while hiding underneath Applejack.

"What's a goof off?" the country pony asked.

"I have no idea, hehe."

Pinkie Pie marched on over to the stallion, "That's right, a Goof Off! You and me. Mano a mano!"

Korra quickly came between the two, "Pinkie, listen there's been a big misunderstanding. If you just let me explain-"

"No need, Korra! You were right. I needed to remember who I really am!"

"Yeah, but this wasn't what I had in mind." she said under her breath.

As much as Cheese wanted to impress Pinkie, maybe this was the language she wanted to speak. He placed a fez on his head and spoke in his serious tone once again.

"This Cheese has stood alone a long time, Pinkie Pie. You think you can out-goof me?"

"Oh, I don't think so. I _know_ so! And the stakes are high, Cheese Sandwich. Whoever wins will be dubbed the ultimate super duper party pony and headline the Rainbow Dash birth-iversary bash!"

"And the loser?" Twilight asked.

"Doesn't!"

Rainbow and the other gasped, while Mako remained indifferent and Korra was still too stunned. She knew Pinkie could have a backbone, but this was insane. This was not the Pinkie she knew and loved.

"Or, maybe we can forget this whole thing, have some ice cream, talk it over and work on the party together." she suggested hopefully.

"No way Korra!" Pinkie stated, "There can only be one party pony, and that pony is Pinkie Pie! So, are you in, Cheese? Or are you... boneless?"

Cheese Sandwich narrowed his eyes, "Nopony calls me boneless. Right, Boneless?" he said to his rubber chicken.

Asami whispered to Bolin, "He does know it doesn't talk, right?"

"Then the goof off is on for high noon!

Jinora called out, "Um, Pinkie? It's already 3 o'clock."

"Oh. Oh, well then. Make it 3:10 to goof off!" she and Cheese started down while Korra only groaned in embarrassment and the two dispersed.

"Cheese, what are you doing? I thought you wanted Pinkie to like you, not challenge you to a goof off, whatever that is!"

"Don't worry, Miss Avatar, I've got a plan!"

"Care to elaborate?"

"If a goof off is what she wants, then a goof off is what she'll get."

"Still not following."

"Once she sees how much fun we're having, maybe she'll realize we're both supper fun party ponies!"

"You sure that'll work? In case you haven't noticed, subtly is not Pinkie's strong suit."

"Trust me, Korra! This the language we party ponies speak."

Korra sighed, "Okay. If you say so."

(~)

The clock stroked 3:10, and everybody was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the two ponies.

"Why are we making a big deal about this again?" Mako asked.

"I'm asking myself the same thing." said Korra, crossing her arms and silently praying Cheese's idea helps in any way.

"I thought you didn't like Cheese." said the firebender.

"I didn't, at first. I thought he was just a show off but now, I realized I was…wrong."

She said the last part so low he didn't hear her, "I'm sorry, what was that?" he placed a hand near his ear.

"I was wrong." she repeated, still in a low voice.

"Didn't quite catch that."

"I was wrong, okay! I was wrong about Cheese Sandwich, he's really not all that bad. I was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! You happy now?!"

Mako could only cross his arms and smile, "Pretty much." he then got his just rewards when Korra punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

Then, the two ponies finally arrived, walking in from opposite directions. Pinkie wore small cowgirl boots and a comically big hat with a arrow sticking through it. Cheese wore fuzzy elephant slippers, one pink and one green, on his front hooves with two socks, one blue and one bright green, on his back hooves. He wore a fuzzy winter hat with a fish on it. Once they were facing one another, Twilight stood between them and took out a book.

"All right, everypony. According to my official goof off rulebook…"

"She actually _has_ a goof off rulebook?" Jinora asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding?" Spike said, "Twilight can find a rulebook for everything!"

Twilight continued to read, "The two competitors have free range to goof about - be it by singing, dancing, playing, prancing, joking, or performing - to make the judge chortle, chuckle, giggle, guffaw, hoot and holler, whoop it up, and party down."

As she spoke, Pinkie and Cheese made funny faces at one another, trying to be funnier than the other. Cheese then opened his mouth, to reveal a white mouse playing a tuba.

"The funnier, sillier, wilder, and goofier, the better. Rainbow Dash, since the winner will be headlining your party, _you_ are the judge."

However, the young pegasus didn't seem all too excited about this and chuckled nervously. "Heh. Big tense competition on my birth-iversary. What could be better?" she forced a smile. She wanted her day to be fun, not complex and full of animosity.

Twilight addressed to the two ponies, "Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie Pie, are you ready?"

"I was _born_ ready!" Pinkie stomped her hoof.

Cheese narrowed his eyes, "I was ready _before_ I was born!"

"That makes no sense!" Mako exclaimed, placing his hands near his mouth to amplify his voice. He then revived numerous looks from everyone. "What?"

"Ooookay." Twilight arched an eyebrow, "Then… Let the goofing begin!" she spread her wings and flew away, allowing the ponies to start the goof off.

Cheese walked closer towards Pinkie, who was hopping closer to him. Bolin was bitting his nails while Korra bit her bottom lip. This Pinkie Pie wasn't the one she knew. This whole thing felt wrong, she wish she had said something before. Seeing her uneasiness, Mako placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to calm down. Maybe everything would work out for the better, if only she was certain of it. Not knowing the future tended to be agonizing at times.

And so, it began. Cheese played his accordion while Pinkie, wearing a fake mustache and funny propeller hat, started singing to Rainbow Dash, who was, quite literally, in the middle of things. She danced on a beach ball while juggling cupcakes.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_It's your birthday party, a very special day_

_I've got a song, it won't take long, I just wanted to say_

She began tossing the cupcakes into Rainbow s mouth, who chewed happily.

_Happy, happy, happy, happy_

_Happy, happy, happy, happy_

_Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday to you!_

Cheese Sandwich danced on a large rolling cheddar cheese while playing the accordion. Pinkie narrowed her eyes and Rainbow was impressed. Cheese jumped from the large cheese and sang to the birthday girl

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_If you wanna be the life of the party_

_But you're feeling just a little uptight_

_Call the doctor, beg and plead_

_"Doctor, tell me what I need"_

_Try to put a little cheese in your knees!_

He danced with two cheese shoes on his hooves. Rainbow Dash was laughing at the silliness, until a comically large hook came down and took her up. Pinkie Pie was flying on a hot air ballon (pulled by actual party balloons) and had pulled Rainbow up with a fishing poll. Rainbow flapped her wings as Pinkie sang and danced and bubbles came out from a machine in the basket.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Bubbles and balloons, bubbles and balloons_

_What's a birthday party without bubbles and balloons?_

She formed balloons in various shapes and forms.

_Star-shaped or trapezoid, look what I can do_

_Only Pinkie Pie can make a bubble shaped like you!_

She blew on the bubbles, creating a pegasus shaped bubble, much to Rainbow's amazement. She was then pulled off by Cheese, who was now at the top of city hall. He wiggled his body and encouraged Rainbow to join in.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_Just let yourself go floppy, for now this is your chance_

_Pretend you have no bones and do the rubber chicken dance!_

"Hit it, Boneless!"

Pinkie jumped from a trampoline and Rainbow landed down towards her, smiling.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Cooler than a rubber chicken and tastier than cake_

_Come on, you, let's party down and do the Gummy shake!_

"Hit it, Gummy! Uh-huh! You know it! Shake it!"

But Cheese was not done yet. He placed a cheese hat on Rainbow's head and placed her on a cheese themed float. She sat on the throne smiling while Cheese sang.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_'Cause I like to make you smile, smile, smile_

_Yes I do_

_It fills my heart with sunshine all the while_

_Yes it does_

_'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile_

_From these happy friends of mine_

**Pinkie Pie; **

"That's _my_ song!"

_Cheese Sandwich; _

"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about."

**Pinkie Pie; **

"THAT'S IT!"

Pinkie pulled out her party cannon. Korra knew where this was going. "Oh, no!"

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Roll out the party cannon_

_When you hear the party cannon song_

_Ka-BOOM!_

But Cheese not only had something to top the party cannon. He had a party howitzer!

At this point, Rainbow was no longer having fun so much as concern.

**Cheese Sandwich;**

_Why should you compromise? Try this one on for size_

_'Cause nothing quite says cheer like the ringing in your ear_

_Of the cheese supreme cannonball surprise!_

He shot the howitzer, sending Rainbow flying back. Once she got back to her hooves, her eyes widened as a forklift carried the largest piñata Rainbow has ever seen. While Pinkie sand around it. In spanish.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_¡Dale, dale, dale_

_No pierdas el tino!_

_Porque si lo pierdes_

_¡Pierdes el camino!_

The piñata proved to be far too large and it eventually gave way, landing right on top of Rainbow Dash, shooting confetti and streamers everywhere. The music stopped and so did Pinkie Pie. Team Avatar was shocked by what had happened. This wasn't a goof off anymore, this was an all out war. And it had gone too far.

Korra rushed over quickly as Rainbow wiggled her way out from underneath the paper decoration. Korra helped her but in the process, Rainbow gained a paper cut on her hoof.

"Ow!"

Korra took her hoof into her hands and Pinkie noticed the single drop of blood drip from her friend's hoof and land onto the grass. It was then, she remembered Korra's words from before.

_Never forget who you really are, Pinkie Pie. _

The pony's eyes began to shimmer with rainbow colors as the realization finally struck her and she gasped. "Rainbow's not having the best party ever! I... I broke the Pinkie Party Promise!"

She couldn't let this continue. She couldn't.

"_Stop_! The goof off is off!"

The ponies all murmured in confusion at Pinkie's sudden choice.

"But I haven't named a winner." said Rainbow Dash while Korra cleaned her cut.

"You don't have to." said Pinkie Pie, hanging her head in sadness, "I forfeit. Which means... Cheese Sandwich wins."

For a moment, Cheese was stunned. "…I do?"

"He does?!" Mako, Asami and Bolin asked in unison.

Meelo was eating popcorn this entire time, "I still have no idea what's going on." he said, while still chewing.

"Yes. You get to headline Rainbow Dash's party." Pinkie said to Cheese.

"But, Pinkie, what about you?" Korra asked.

"I… I don't." her bright blue eyes began to tear up as her heart broke into pieces. "I'm sorry Rainbow. I'm sorry everypony."

Before anyone could say anything, she galloped away from the scene.

(~)

She had packed everything and was now ready to leave. Since nopony else wanted her around, and after what she did to her best friend, she didn't deserve to be around anyone anymore.

"Pinkie, wait!"

She stopped when Rainbow Dash called out to her and hovered in front of her. "I'm sorry I got all swept away by Cheese Sandwich."

"We all are." said Twilight, and the rest of the Mane Six, even the airbenders, Asami and Bolin agreed with this, looking apologetically at the pony.

"We didn't mean to hurt your feelings." said Ikki.

Mako crossed his arms, "Well, not all of us were swept up. Korra wasn't."

Korra's eyes winded, "Wait, what?"

"Out of all of us, you understood what Pinkie was going through and tried to help."

"Guess we should have taken your example." said Applejack.

"But, even I was wrong about Cheese." Korra confessed, "I only disliked him because Pinkie did. I judged him a bit too quickly and I realize now that was wrong." she said in regret.

"None of this was your fault." said Pinkie, "_I_ was the one who let my pride get in the way of Rainbow having the best birth-iversary ever. Cheese Sandwich really is a super duper party planner, and he'll be a terrific headliner. I should've been a big enough pony to admit that and let you have your day." she said to her friend.

"But don't you get it?" Rainbow said with a smile, "You're _both_ super duper party ponies. Sure, Cheese Sandwich is a great _guest_ party pony, but you're Ponyville's _permanent_ party pony." Pinkie smiled when Rainbow hugged her with all the love in her heart, "Nopony could ever take your place, and we could never have a party without you."

"Rainbow's right." Korra said, "Cheese never wanted to upstage you like we thought he did. He was really only trying to impress you."

Pinkie's eyes widened, "Me?"

"It's true."

All eyes turned to Cheese, who walked on over, placing his cowboy hat over his heart. "I never meant to take your place in Ponyville. I just wanted to show _you_ what a great party pony I am, Pinkie."

"But why?" Pinkie asked.

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"Well…"

_I fear I told a little fib about my pony past_

_I hope that when you hear the truth, you will not be aghast_

_I wasn't quite the super party pony like I claim_

_The fact is that I was so shy, nopony knew my name_

As he sang, Bolin began to tear up.

**Cheese Sandwich; **

_I stumbled into Ponyville one afternoon by chance_

_And found the biggest ever celebration party dance_

_Everything was perfect, cheer was filling up the place_

_And I saw that everypony had a smile upon their face_

_I vowed that day to change my life, the past I did set free_

_For now Cheese Sandwich was a party pony full of glee_

_A super duper party pony - that's what I became_

_I traveled all Equestria, and all did know my name_

_But that never would have happened on my own, I'll tell you why..._

_For the one who threw that party, it was you, _

_Pinkie Pie._

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Me?"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"Yes!"

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Hah, really?!"

**Team Avatar;**

"Really?!"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"Really!"

Pinkie Pie began hopping around happily, "So _I_ was the pony that threw the awesomely spectacular party that inspired you to become an awesome spectacular party thrower?"

"Swear on Camembert!"

"I did not see that coming!" said Meelo…while still eating popcorn.

**Rainbow Dash;**

"Enough with the warm fuzzy stuff, you two. It's my birth-iversary, and you gotta throw me a bash!"

**Pinkie Pie; **

"Yeah!"

**Cheese Sandwich; **

"Let's go!"

And so, the two ponies decided to work together to give Rainbow Dash the best party she ever had!

**Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich;**

_Super duper party ponies - that is me and you_

_A party thrown by one is good, but not as great as two_

_Come on and let's join forces, have twice the expertise_

_Now let's all go to the party planned by Pinkie Pie and Cheese!_

(~)

As the sun came down, all of Ponyville was abuzz with joy and laughter! Both Pinkie and Cheese did a wondrous job at incorporating their ideas together. There were balloons, confetti, all kinds of sweets, games, a large punch bowl, everything anybody could ask for.

Bolin played with the airbender kids while Asami danced with the Mane Six. Korra smiled proudly at the scene when Mako walked up to her and she looked at him in apology.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked.

"For yelling at you before. You were right, I was being too hard on Cheese Sandwich. You'd think I'd learn not to judge a book by its cover." she turned her gaze towards the Sato heiress, who laughed as the ponies danced.

Mako smiled, "It's okay. I understand why you were upset. You were only being concerned for your friend. It's one of the may things I love about you."

Korra blushed, "Awww."

The spotlight shined onto the stage and Cheese Sandwich walked out, wearing a hat and bow tie.

"ll right, everypony! We are here to celebrate the birthday…"

"…and anniversary…" Pinkie added, also wearing a hat and bow-tie.

"…of Rainbow Dash!"

They shouted in unison and Rainbow emerged from a birthday gift, wearing a party hat, and hoarding above the crowd.

"Hey, everypony! Who's ready to get their party on?! Hit it!"

The music played and everybody got into the groove while Pinkie Pie danced and sang.

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Get your hooves up, party's starting out right now_

_Everypony, everypony get down_

_Time to make a wish, better make it right now_

_It's been a year and today is your birthday party_

Rainbow Dash could not have asked for a better party. She blew out the candles on her large birthday cake, slammed her cutie mark shaped piñata, ate a delicious pizza with her friends and even swam in the large punch bowl pool.

Pinkie sang the song as Applejack, Rarity and Twilight danced on stage, along with Jinora and Ikki.

_Make a wish, it's your birthday_

_Make a wish, it's your birthday party_

_Make a wish, it's your birthday_

_Make a wish, it's your birthday party_

The party was the biggest hit the town had ever seen. So filled with joy and laughter. The four teens danced with their pony friends and Pinkie Pie could not have been happier to see her friends happy.

Cheese leaned against a tree, eating a cupcake, when Rainbow appeared before him. "Cheese Sandwich! Oh, I gotta tell ya, you and Pinkie have totally made this the best birthday/anniversary super combo ever! Hah, it's totally-"

"Epic?"

"Yeah, it is!"

"That's all I needed to hear, little filly." his voice slowly became low again once he placed his cowboy hat on once more.

(~)

Pinkie Pie held the pencil in her mouth as she wrote down what she had learned today. Once she was done, she smiled at her Avatar friend, who was sitting next to her.

"Korra, I want to say that you were right. I shouldn't have forgotten who I really was. Thanks for still believing in me, and for knowing when I was acting crazy. Well, crazier than normal."

Korra chuckled and hugged her pony friend, "Anytime, Pinkie."

The two were surprised when Cheese Sandwich placed a long wooden box in front of them.

"Just a little memento of my visit." he said.

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened in awe, "You're giving me your special rubber chicken friend?" she asked, even the rubber toy gave out a rainbow-like glow.

"Oh, he's not the only one." Cheese placed another rubber chicken onto his back, with a red number two painted on its chest. The stallion now wore his poncho and cowboy hat once more. His time was done here. "Well, Boneless Two, another job well done. But it's time we mosey along. Another town, another party."

"Wait!" Pinkie cried out, "Will….you be back."

The stallion smiled, "You can count on it." he winked, making the pony blush. The rest of the group watched on as Cheese Sandwich, one of the best party ponies around, walked off into the sunset. Her certainly left his mark on everyone in Ponyville. Especially on a young spirited pink filly.

"I never did get that pony's name."

"_Cheese Sandwich_!" everybody exclaimed.

Pinkie Pie giggled, "Oh, yeah!"

(~)

_"And so, Pinkie realized that a true party pony knows when to make other happy. But also, when to share that same gift as well._

_I'll see you again for another story from_

Tales of Equestria!"


	10. Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

_"So, many of you might already know that Mako eventually became a cop, right? Well, he has been studying up on his final police exam for weeks now. _

_But, there was also another pony was getting ready for her own test as well._

_At least….that was what she was suppose to be doing._

_Want to know the tale?_

_Well sit back and let old uncle Discord tell you_

_(~)_

**Testing Testing 1, 2, 3**

Twilight's purple eyes scanned the papers, while Korra held the book next to her. She looked back and forth from the pages to the book, silently. An anxious firebender sat in a lotus position on the grass, while fiddling with his fingers nervously. Finally, Twilight looked up at him and sighed.

"I can't believe it's come to this." She placed the papers down and Korra cringed at what she was about to do. The firebender watched in anticipation as the alicorn inhaled a large amount of hair before saying…

"Mako's the smartest, most handsome and most amazing firebender cop this side of the universe and I am humble to even be in his presence!" Twilight said the words so fast she was literally out of breath.

Mako jumped up from the grass and pounded his fists into the air, "Yes! Aced it!"

Korra simply chuckled while face palming herself and shaking her head. "I don't know what's more incredible. That you got every single question right, or that you bet Twilight to say all of that if you did."

"Hey, serves her right not thinking I could do it."

"I never said you couldn't!" Twilight protested, "I said you were bound to get at least one or two wrong. Since, you kind of did before."

"But I didn't this time, did I?" he said with a smirk, making Twilight sigh in annoyance.

"No. You got a perfect score. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Well, I did have a great tutor. I couldn't have done it without you Twilight."

"Awww, that's sweet….but don't ever make me do that again!"

"Ah come on! Let me have a little fun once in a while!" Mako was then surprised when Korra hugged him.

"You're gonna ace that final! Just think, by this time next week, you'll be wearing your new, official, Republic City Police uniform."

"I know! Wow, I still can't believe it."

Twilight smiled proudly as well, "All of your hard work is about to pay off."

"Speaking of tests, isn't Rainbow studying for her history of the Wonderbolts exam for next week?" Mako asked.

"Actually yeah." Korra responded, "Where is that speedy little filly?"

To answer her question, a blur of blue and rainbow colors came speeding on by, causing the two teens to fall backwards into the ground, and blasting all of the papers into the wind.

"There's your speedy little filly." Mako said with an annoyed expression, which matched Korra's.

Twilight used her magic to gather up the papers while the teens got back on their feet. The alicorn grunted in frustration, "How in Equestria does that pony expect to pass her history of the Wonderbolts exam tomorrow if she's wasting time flying?!"

"Maybe she's just taking a break." Korra suggested.

"She's been doing this for the past five days!"

"Oooooookay. That could be an issue."

Twilight then smirked and flapped her wings, "Well, I'm just gonna fly right up to her and tell her what I think about her lackadaisical approach to studying!" she said as she flew up at her own speed towards Rainbow Dash, "Won't she be surprised!"

"Surprise!"

Twilight was startled when Rainbow Dash appeared right in front of her, "What? Huh? How did you—"

"Puh-lease, Twilight." Rainbow scoffed as she rested on a nearby cloud, for which Twilight struggled to stand on. Now that she was an alicorn, she could do that now. "That was the worst sneak attack ever."

"Wha? But—"

"I saw you giving me the stink-eye from the ground and heard you flying towards me and muttering from a _mile_ away."

"Well, if you heard me "muttering", then you must know what I was "muttering" about."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, the Wonderbolts history test. No big deal." she leaned backwards and fell from the cloud, falling gently with her front legs behind her head. Twilight rolled her eyes and flew down after her as the two neared the ground beside the teens.

"No. Big deal. _Really_ big deal. It's a test! A test that will determine if you can join the newly-formed Wonderbolts Reserves, and being part of the Wonderbolts Reserves means you'll have the opportunity to live your dream as a Wonderbolt! This is the most important test of your _life_!"

"She's got a point, Rainbow." said Korra, "I mean, I know you're not the most studious pony around, but preparing for a test is a pretty big deal. I had to work my butt off when it came to my other bending tests, I had to learn and memorize every practice forms if I was going to get it right."

"I had to stay up all night just to memorize every single law enforcement in the book." said Mako, "Being a cop is no joke."

However, the blue pegasus rolled her red eyes in disinterest, "Come on you guys, not everybody gets all freaked out when they don't get things perfect right away like you do."

The three gasped in shock, feeling insulted, "We don't get "all freaked out"!" they stated defensively.

"Uh, seriously? Twilight's freakouts are so epic, you sing whole freakout arias about freaking out. When Mako gets freaked out he goes all "Mama Mako" on everyone and Korra, you go blasting anything that can't scream back."

The three opened their mouths to speak, but quickly realized they didn't know what else to say. Korra and Mako tried to come up with a compact, but nothing good came out. Eventually, they gave up.

"I can't argue with that." said Korra.

"Me neither, she's got us pegged."

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "Fine, _I_ may tend to take my tests a little seriously, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be studying for yours!" then, the alicorn's eyes winded in realization and smiled excitedly, "Oooh! And I know just the pony who can help you: _me_!"

"That's a great idea!" Mako said with a smile, "Nopony else is better for the job than Twilight!" then he realized something as well, "Oh! And I can help out!"

"Me too!" said Korra, "I can show you everything I know that helped me memorize everything I needed to know before my tests!" she then took Rainbow into her arms and hugged her tightly, "This is gonna be so much fun!"

But Rainbow was not amused, "Sure. Fun."

(~)

Rainbow snoozed while leaning against Twilight's small wooden podium inside the Golden Oak Library. She wore dark shades to hide the fact she was napping. She was only woken up when a large book landed in front of her. Her shades fell off and she looked down.

"Wha– huh?"

Twilight instructed as she showed her friend the book, "This is the most complete—"

"And ginormous!"

"—book on the history of the Wonderbolts."

"Okay, but how am I supposed to get what's in _there_ into _here_?" she pointed at the book and then at her head.

"With my handy-dandy study checklist, of course!" twilight levitated the said list up to Rainbow's face. Th peony groaned.

"Of course."

"Korra, Mako and I have arranged a set of methods to help you pass your test!" she levitated the list firs to the firebender.

"First up, reading and highlighting."

Korra crossed her arms and pouted, "How come you get to go first?"

"Because I beat you in rock, paper, succors. Twice."

The Avatar grunted in annoyance, she hatted admitting defeat.

Mako clear his throat and walked from side to side while Rainbow, using a yellow highlighter pen in her mouth, was marking the words on the book as the firebender instructed. This was one of the techniques he had mastered while studying to become a cop at the academy.

"Reading and highlighting is the foundation of any good study method. It allows the student to hone in and boil down on what's really important, separating the good from the bad, the wheat from the chaff, getting to the crux of things."

While he talked, Korra mumbled what he said while Rainbow marked the words she believed were important. Mako gently took the book, "Let's see what you've got so far!" he opened the book and was nearly blinded by all of the yellow in every…single…word….on the pages. Korra and Twilight noticed this too and the Avatar couldn't help but snicker a little.

"Well, by highlighting _everything_, you don't really separate the wheat from the chaff…" she said.

Mako flipped through the pages, seeing more highlights and even a few drawings of Rainbow herself. "Or the good from the bad." he then found a pretty bad drawing of himself, stretching out through the entire page, "Hey, I am _not_ that tall!"

Korra and the two ponies giggled until they received an angry glare from Mako and they silenced themselves. Twilight sighed, regaining her composure, "Okay, Rainbow, clearly reading and highlighting is not your style of studying, so let's move on to the tried and true: History lecture!"

Twilight stood in front of a blackboard with a symbol drawing of the Wonderbolts emblem. Korra and Mako sat on the floor, and Korra, suspiciously, was taking a few notes. It was all a part of her own plan. Rainbow Dash then raised up her hoof in question.

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"Is it snack time?" she asked, opening her lunch box.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Recess?" she appeared at the window with a soccer ball.

"No."

Rainbow sighed as she crawled towards her chair, "Can't we just watch the history of the Wonderbolts movie?!"

"No! Now, just get comfortable, and experience the magic of learning."

While Korra and Mako took the notes, Rainbow whispered to them, "Psht! Help. Me!" she whispered pleadingly. The two teens only pointed their fingers towards the black board, much to her dismay and Twilight began her teaching with chalk drawings.

"Ahem. Prior to the great Celestia/Luna rift, there was no need for the Earth, Unicorn, Pegasi, or E.U.P., Guard."

Rainbow sighed and tumbled on her stool. Noticing the squeaky sound it made, Rainbow started tipping back and forth, making rhythmic squeaking sounds with the stool, rather than listen to the lecture.

" But after Luna's banishment, the Protective Pony Platoons were formed. On the anniversary of the first Celestial year of peace, a celebration was held."

But while the others were occupied with the lecture, Rainbow kept on making noises with her stool. Owlowiscious started hooting along to the sound and Spike started drumming with a smile.

"Headed by General Firefly, an elite team of aerial performers were chosen to help celebrate this auspicious occasion. The first performance was so full of energy, so highly charged, that magical lightning showered down on the crowd. Everypony was so filled with amazement and wonder that General Firefly dubbed them "the Wonderbolts"!"

Twilight dropped her chalk once she realized the commotion that was going on behind her. Even the teens found it a bit amusing. But once the dragon and the owl noticed the princess looking at them, the immediately stopped and zipped away.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow immediately stopped her foolishness, and the teens snickered, earning a glare from the alicorn, making them stop.

"Can you repeat _any_ of my lesson?"

Rainbow made her stool creak one last time and smiled. Twilight teleported the stool away from Rainbow and Korra stood up. "Okay, obviously Highlighting and History Lecture aren't flying here. So, how about we try _my_ method next."

(~)

Rainbow stood opposite Korra on the fields. The two were about to have an Agni Kai.

"How exactly is this suppose to help me?" Rainbow asked.

"My firebending masters taught me that one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Keeping my body moving helped me focus and I was able to memorize an entire generation of Fire Nation history in _one_ day. Since you're not one to stand still for long, I suspect the same applies to you too."

"Well, let's give it a shot!"

"Good. Twilight, you got what we need?"

The alicorn smiled, "Yep! Flashcards!"

Rainbow arched an eyebrow, "Oh, does that mean I'll _learn_ in a _flash_?" she said as she speeded around.

"One can only hope. Alright. Get ready." the two got into their stances, "And….go!"

Korra hurled the first blow and Rainbow immediately dodged it in mid air. Korra unleashed another attack and Rainbow flew out of the way, hurling a blast at Korra who dodged it as well. Rainbow unleashed another attack and Korra deflected it by moving her hands in a circular motion.

While they fought, Twilight read the words from the cards, "Colonel Purple Dart, the leader of the Wonderbolts in the Fourth Celestial Era, was known for his– what?"

"Uh. Mustache?" Rainbow dodged another incoming attack from Korra.

"Wrong!" said the Avatar, "Next question!"

"After becoming the official flying squadron for Princess Celestia, she honored them with–"

Rainbow flipped in mid air. While yes her brain activity was at its best, but she had a hard time remembering the lessons from before. She knew she had read something about this Colonel guy, but couldn't place what it was.

"Um…uh, whoa!" she dodged another fire attack and hurled another at Korra, who did a backflip away from the impact.

"You gotta be quicker than that, Rainbow!" the Avatar instructed.

"Okay, but go easy on me here!"

"I _am_ going easy on you." she stated, right before unleashing another fire blast, which Rainbow redirected and Twilight read the flash cards once more.

"The original Wonderbolts lightning bolt insignia was–" Twilight winced when Rainbow Dash was knocked down to the ground, already out of breath and exhausted.

She grunted as she stood up and Korra stopped the Agni Kai. "How is this going to help me remember anything?! I bet you don't even-" before she could continue, Korra began talking.

"Colonel Purple Dart, the leader of the Wonderbolts in the Fourth Celestial Era, was known for his impeccable timing, hight speed flight and ability to calculate the altitude of any pegasus while in mid flight. After becoming the official flying squadron for Princess Celestia, she honored them with their official Wonderbolts uniforms, which were originally grey at the time before changing to blue over the years, adding the lightning bolts. The original Wonderbolts lightning bolt insignia was only a fair of wings with a star to represent their dazzling performance. I was changed in the following two years to a lightning bolt to best represent their determination and speed of flight."

Rainbow, Twilight and Mako all dropped their jaws, their eyes the size of saucers.

"See? It does work. I'm sure something must have sunken in."

"Only one way to find out." said Twilight, "With a pop quiz!"

"Bring it!" Rainbow said determinedly and Twilight teleported them into the library.

"The initials E.U.P. stand for what?" Twilight asked.

"Ernie's undercooked pancakes." Rainbow answered.

"The original aerial team performed for…?" Mako asked.

"Celestia's cereal celebration."

"The Wonderbolts were given their name by this famous Pegasus. Who is she?" Korra asked, before muttering to herself, "Please don't say Colonel Waffle…"

"Hello? General Blazing Donut Glaze!" Rainbow scoffed, "So, did I ace it or what?"

Korra, Twilight and Mako all face/hoffed palmed themselves, "Or what." said Twilight, "You didn't get _one_ answer correct."

"What? But– but how?"

"I don't know. I've never heard answers so wrong! And so breakfast-related!"

At that moment, Rainbow's stomach started to growl.

"If you had taken the official test today…"

Rainbow Dash gasped in realization, "My dreams of being in the Wonderbolts Reserve would have been totally crushed!" she covered her face in shame with both her hooves and her wings.

"You just now figured this out?" Mako stated, earning a punch on the arm from Korra.

Rainbow began flying around the room in a frenzy "What am I gonna do? I'm running out of time! I don't know any of this history! I'm gonna _fail_!" she ran out the door, panting, her heart racing and her anxieties growing with each breath, "I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail! And it's all _your_ fault!"

"_Our_ fault?!" the three friends exclaimed in shock.

"We're the ones helping _you_!" Twilight stated.

"Maybe your famous study methods aren't all they're cracked up to be, eh, _teachers_?!"

Rainbow's response left the others with their jaws dropped. What she said was completely uncalled for. Mako and Twilight narrowed their eyes while Korra remained the only one concerned.

"Excuse me, I've used them to study for many a test and _passed_!" Twilight stated.

"Yeah, right." as Rainbow attempted to fly away, Twilight flew behind her.

"Do _you_ know the name of the premiere Wonderbolts choreographer?"

"Uh, well—"

"Commander Easyglider."

"Do _you_ know how many Pegasi flew in the original squad?" Mako asked an uncertain Rainbow.

"Um—"

"Seven!"

Do _you_ know Princess Celestia's favorite flight pattern?!" Twilight asked, "The Icaranian Sun Salutation!"

"See? Even _I_ could pass the test." said Mako, "And I'm not even a pegasus!"

Rainbow Dash lowered down, sitting on the ground, "Fine! Rub it in, why don't ya? Besides, I don't see why I have to take this lousy test anyway. I've proven I'm one of the best flyers around."

"Knowing their origin and being able to properly represent them for all of Equestria is just as important." said Twilight.

Unbeknownst to them, Fluttershy was standing a few feet away, overhearing the conversation. Alongside her was the young airbender Jinora.

"Yeah, right. Some history buff like you must have made that up to bring us _flyers_ down."

"Knowing history actually _is_ beneficial, Rainbow."

Rainbow blew a raspberry at Twilight's face, "Beneficial for eggheads!"

Fluttershy then spoke out, "Guys."

Korra came in between them, "Okay, that's enough! Rainbow, I get you're frustrated, but Twilight was only trying to help. We all are."

"Oh, and like _your_ Agni Kai worked wonders?" Rainbow said back at the Avatar.

Mako then said, "It's not her fault you can't memorize a single sentence from a book."

"Hey, that's way too harsh Mako!" Korra exclaimed.

"Well, it's true! She's the one who's been waisting all of her time slacking off!"

Fluttershy then spoke out again, "Guys!"

"You wouldn't have to worry about this if you had studied beforehand."

Korra then stood before him, "Hey! She's feeling bad enough already, don't make things worse!"

"Why are you defending her? You know it's true!"

"Try being a little more sensitive!"

"I've been trying to help her out as much as you have and _I'm_ the one who's insensitive?!"

Fluttershy spoke out again, "Guys!"

"Enough!" Rainbow exclaimed, "You both messed up!"

"What?!"

"I can't believe you would say that Rainbow!" said Twilight.

"You were the ones bombarding me with all of this history stuff!"

"Well, _this_ pony knows history _and_ can fly. Maybe _I_ should become a Wonderbolt."

"Just 'cause you've got wings, doesn't mean you can fly! You're barely able to just get off the ground!"

Twilight gasped and the two grunted when Fluttershy finally came in between them, shouting louder than she ever did before.

"_Guys! Stop!_ "

Everyone fell into silence, each taking a moment to reflect on what they had said to one another.

"Now, is that any way to talk to a friend?"

The four of them looked at one another with sincere regret. They had all felt so frustrated they didn't even think about what they were saying.

"Sorry." Twilight said.

"Yeah, sorry." Rainbow turned to the humans, "I'm sorry you guys. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's okay. Sorry we blew up like that." Korra said honestly.

Mako hung his head in shame, "Me too. Guess we all got a little frustrated there."

Jinora walked up to the grouped, "Don't you have more important things to do? Like prepare Rainbow for her big test?"

"We've tried everything, Jinora," said Twilight, "but none of our study methods work for her."

Fluttershy smiled, "Well, no offense to your teaching methods, but I think _I_ may have a way to help Rainbow."

(~)

The group sat in front of a wooden stage, decorated with a day and night setting, with Spike sitting in a director's chair, wearing a director's hat, holding a script, while Angel Bunny and Rarity's cat Opal wore a Celestia and Luna wig, respectively.

"Oh, who's that, who's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Celestia and Luna, back when they were happy." said Fluttershy while Opal and Bunny danced with one another.

Mako arched an eyebrow, "You sure this'll help?"

Korra shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

The two animals stopped their dancing and Bunny looked as if he had caused Opal to faint by shouting at her. Owlowisious took Opal up and placed her on a wooden moon prop as more of the pets arrived onto the stage. Applejack's dog had a unicorn horn on her forehead, Rainbow's pet tortoise, who flew on a small helicopter on his back, wore a headband with wings on them, and Spike pushed Pinkie's pet alligator onto the stage.

"Uh… now what?" Rainbow asked, having a difficult time understanding the play.

"Gummy's an Earth pony, Winona's a unicorn, and Tank is a Pegasus."

"They're the E.U.P., helping to protect the Princess." Twilight stated, already tired for having to repeat the information all over again.

"She's mentioned it eleven times already." said Mako, "And I have been counting."

But Rainbow was still a bit lost, "Uh, how are you getting all this?"

The owl took Angel and placed him on the sun prop, behaving all regal. Tank flew around, accidentally colliding with the wooden sun, causing Angel to fall.

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy exclaimed

The owl managed to grab the rabbit in time, but he then collided with the moon, which caused the cat to fall, and the moon to get loose. Spike ran up and caught Opal as the moon landed and rolled down the stage like an Indiana Jones rock ball. Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop, stop, stop! That was aw—"

"Awesome! I give it three woohoo's! Woohoo, woohoo, woohoo! And an extra "woo" for good measure! Woo!"

"Pinkie?" Mako was surprised to see her appear out of nowhere, "When did you….never mind."

"Well, I give it a "whoa, whoa, what?"" said Rainbow, "I'm totally confused and I just wanna go home…" she started to fly away until she was pulled down back to the ground by a yank of the tail from Pinkie Pie. "Whoa– hey!"

"Whoa your woes there, woeful. Some ponies learn through theatrical presentation, but other ponies learn through musical intervention."

Mako covered his ears quickly, "Oh no, not again!"

Pinkie Pie started beatboxing when suddenly the background changed to a strange graffiti painted walls with Bolin, Meelo and Pabu dressed in hooded, baggy pants, headbands, shades and large bling. Meelo was scratching the records while Pinkie Pie, also in a hip-hop getup, beatboxed.

_Well, back in ancient times, there were the Wonderbolts of old_

_A general named Firefly, amazing and so..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Bold!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_She brought them all together, spreading unity..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_In flight!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Performing at their very best with wonder..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_And with might!_

**[Pinkie Pie]**

_There's Admiral Fairweather and the Colonel Purple..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Dart!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Gave Wonderbolts a bit of steel along with..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Lots of heart!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_An admiral named Fairy Flight and general called..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Flash!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Helped the 'bolts fly super high.._.

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_With style and panache!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Commander Easyglider was the real cream of..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_The crop!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_For with her wicked moves, the Wonderbolts..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Soared to the top!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Wonderbolts, yeah! Wonderbolts..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Huh!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_Wonderbolts, yeah! Wonderbolts..._

**Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Meelo;**

_Unh!_

**Pinkie Pie;**

_That is my rappin' history of the Wonderbolts!_

The scene changed back to normal, and Pinkie was out of her getup. Except for Meelo and Bolin.

"So, d'you get it?"

Rainbow Dash smiled with glee, "Yes, Pinkie Pie!" she then, very, very poorly, tried imitating the rap-style sounds, "General This and Colonel That, they're the Wonderbolts, something that rhymes with that! Word!"

The others cringed and Pinkie Pie lowered her ears, "That… was pretty terrible."

Now Rainbow was even more anxious than before, "What?! No... really? But I've gotta learn this stuff! Now!" she started to gallop away, only to be stopped by Rarity, who was now wearing a general's uniform.

"And I am just the pony to help!" said the fabulous unicorn.

Korra couldn't help but chuckle at the getup, "Rarity, you look ridiculous."

But the unicorn did not seem fazed at all, "I am going to ignore that comment out of my desire to help Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow looked behind her at her hopeful friends and then back at Rarity, "Good luck."

(~)

"Get ready, Rainbow Dash, for I am going to take you on an historical adventure in fashion!"

Rarity led Rainbow Dash into the boutique, where a spotlight shinned on top of them. Rainbow noticed various mannequins in the shadows in parts of the room that were unlit.

"I am now modeling the rather unattractive, and frankly itchy, original Wonderbolts flying costume. Fortunately, thanks to the vision of Flaire De Mare, the Wonderbolts _ensemble_ became more streamlined in a wonderfully breathable fabric. Of course, there were fashion hits... and misses."

The light shined over Pinkie Pie, who was wearing a blue flying admiral jacket with a matching hat and gray pants.

"Just look at those dreadful bell-bottoms. What _were_ ponies thinking?"

"I dunno. I bet General Flash _rocked_ these thangs!" Pinkie said cheerfully.

Rainbow Dash yelped in shock, originally thinking it was a fake Pinkie, "Pinkie, you're real!"

"Of course I'm real! I mean I'm not the _real_ General Flash, the tenth leader of the Wonderbolts, but I, Pinkie, am really real."

Fluttershy walked up to her, wearing a more light blue unicorn and cap, "And I'm Admiral Fairy Flight, from the seventh squadron."

Twilight Sparkle emerged, wearing a grey jacket with matching hat and black shades, "And of course you recognize Commander Easyglider."

Applejack appeared as well, "And I'm sportin' some sort of getup worn by Colonel Purple Dart."

Rarity then gestured to Korra, who was also wearing a dark blue unicorn with golden badges and a hat with the Wonderbolts emblem on it.

"And Korra is wearing the uniform of General Firefly." Rarity addressed and then gestured to Mako, "And Mako is dresses as Admiral Fairweather."

The firebender was not amused with wearing the uniform or the large captain styled hat. "You said you'd pay me!"

But even with all of these names, Rainbow couldn't remember what these ponies did in the past. She was feeling the anxiety growing inside of her as she started to breath in panic.

Rarity; "Just look at us."

Twilight Sparkle; "_Look at us."_

Pinkie Pie; "_Look at me!"_

Mako; "Still waiting for that money."

"It's too much for my eyes!" Rainbow zipped away from them as the light came back on and she covered her eyes with her hooves. Applejack walked up to her and removed her hat.

"Now, don't you fret, Rainbow. This fashion show nonsense wouldn't help me learn nothin', either."

As the hat fell to the floor, Rarity looked at her with a beaten expression.

"Really? Well, what special study trick do you have, AJ?" Rainbow asked as the two walked together towards the door.

"Who, me? Oh, I got nothing. Why, I could tell you every little thing there is to know about the history of apples, but I picked all that up over years in the field as a labor of love. How much time you got?"

"Twelve hours."

"Oh, then you are up a creek."

Rainbow Dash sat down on the ground, already ready to give up, until Twilight levitated the flash cards around her. "Oh, I think we should just go back to old-fashioned studying."

"What about our play?" Fluttershy asked, while she had Bunny and Opal on her back.

"Just look at these costumes!" said Rarity, "Surely something resonates with your inner Wonderbolt!"

Applejack shoved the unicorn aside, "And Granny Smith discovered the first granny smith in Fillydelphia, when she was just a filly!"

Pinkie Pie put her hat back on and started rapping again,_ "Commander Easyglider was the real cream of the crop—"_

"Pinkie, stop rapping!" Mako exclaimed, "That isn't gonna help Rainbow!"

_"Well, I suggest you put down your silly cards of flash, For I know that they cannot help our good friend Rainbow Dash!"_

"Maybe we could try the Agni Kai one last time." Korra suggested, "Or the meditation method."

"You really think Rainbow's gonna want to sit around meditating?" Mako asked.

"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything!"

It didn't take long for the entire group to start arguing with each other about how to teach Rainbow the best method of studying. But all this was causing was nothing but more anxiety for the poor pony. Finally, she could take no more.

"_Enough_! No rapping, no cards, no costumes, no Agni Kai, no play," Spike weeped sadly in the corner, "and no apples! I am never gonna pass this test, ever! Just forget it!"

The now depressed Rainbow flew up into the sky, leaving all her friends feeling regret over their foolishness.

(~)

Rainbow needed to get away from everything, so she traveled to Republic City, in hopes she could forget about this whole thing for a while.

Twilight and Korra managed to catch up to Rainbow, who was hovering over the city. Korra used her air glider to fly with the two. The Avatar called out to the pony, "Rainbow, we're sorry about all that!"

"We didn't mean to overwhelm you!" said Twilight.

"It's okay. You were just trying to help. It's just too bad I'm too dumb to learn anything."

"You are not dumb!" Twilight stated confidently, "You just learn differently!"

"If by "differently" you mean "not at all", then you're totally right."

"No, that's totally wrong." said Korra.

"See? Wrong again."

"Oh, come on R.D! I don't know anypony that's read more Daring Do books than you, or who's managed to master firebending almost as quickly as I have."

"Well, that's not going to get me into the Wonderbolts."

"And your knowledge of jokes and pranks is only rivaled by Pinkie and Bolin." said Twilight.

"Great. My years of being a class clown prevented me from actually _learning_ how to learn!" as they continued their conversation, Rainbow's eyes were scanning the city down bellow.

"That's not what I meant. You're smart, creative, inventive, and–" Twilight was interrupted when Rainbow Dash suddenly zoomed downwards. "Hey! I was still talking!"

Both Twilight and Korra zoomed down after Rainbow Dash, who was flying at top speed.

"Rainbow, wait!" Korra shouted, but Rainbow just kept going. It was then, they both realized what the pony was really trying to do.

Rainbow Dash collided with a man, who was running away with a bag in hand, and knocked him down to the ground. Korra and Twilight landed on the ground and an elderly woman rushed on by.

Rainbow kicked the man square in the face and took the bag from his hand, giving it to the elderly woman. "Oh my! Thank you so much, dear! That horrible man stole my purse!"

"Don't mention it."

Twilight and Korra had their jaws dropped in awe when the police sirens were heard and the metalbenders rushed on over to arrest the man. One of the cops congratulated the pony, "Great job there, Rainbow Dash. We've been after this crook for weeks."

"No problem. Glad I could help."

The cops dragged the still unconscious man to the police car and drove off. The elderly woman took out something from her purse, some hard candy and tossed them to Rainbow, who caught them in her mouth.

"Thank you again." she said before walking away peacefully.

Korra and Twilight had to take a comment to analyze this. "Wow! I didn't even notice that guy!" Korra said, still impressed.

"I know." said Rainbow, "That's because you were both jabbering on so much."

"But how did _you_ notice?" Twilight asked, "You were listening and talking to me the whole time!"

"Ha-hah, you're such a rookie. An experienced flyer like me knows how to multitask."

"While you fly?" Korra asked, still impressed.

"It's essential! Yes, I was paying attention to you, but was also scanning the sky and the ground for any problems."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Flying's not just flying! In order to stay safe in the sky, I've got to hear and see everything down to the littlest details. For instance, I saw Tahno and the Wolf bats come out of Narook;s, and from the looks of it, one of them ate waaaay too much noodles. And I'm thinking Mr. Chung sold a _huge_ order of his phonographs. I also noticed that guy take the lady's purse while she was talking to a friend. Once I saw where he was going, I beat him to it. I always make note of everything when I fly. No biggie."

"Everything?" Korra asked, and the gears in her head started to turn. That was when she got a great idea, "Oh, my gosh!"

"What?"

"Gotta go! Come on, Twilight!" Korra opened up her glider and flew up with Twilight right behind her, leaving Rainbow behind.

"Yeah, I get it. I wouldn't want to hang out with a loser like me either." she said sadly before flying away to rest on a cloud, which turned grey, matching her mood.

(~)

Back at the Golden Oak Library, Korra and Twilight had everyone gathered together, even the airbender kids.

"Thanks for meeting us, everybody."

"What is it, Korra?" Jinora asked.

"We finally found a way to help Rainbow Dash."

"But how?" Fluttershy asked.

"We've tried every kind of studying." said Rarity, "My way, your way…"

"Yes, but we haven't tried _Rainbow Dash's_ way." said Twilight.

"Hmm, I'm intrigued." Pinkie Pie placed on her hip-hop hat.

"Okay. Listen up, here's the plan"

(~)

Rainbow Dash was still laying on a cloud in Ponyville this time, feeling depressed. Her hope of getting into the Wonderbolts was fading more and more by the minute. But, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if maybe her lack of interest in the history was a sign that maybe she didn't want this dream as much as she believed she did. The pony was awoken from her thoughts when Twilight Sparkle appeared.

"Hey, Rainbow. Wanna go for a fly?"

Figuring that there was not much to do now, Rainbow sighed, "Sure. Got nothing better to do." she flew off of the cloud with Twilight beside her. "Didn't we just do this?"

"Yes, but like you said, I'm such a newbie, I need all the practice I can get."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you'll become a great flyer in no time. After all, you're good at everything." Rainbow flew on ahead and Twilight looked down at the ground for brief moment before smiling back at her friend as she caught up with her.

"So… what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. Just getting my dreams crushed." Rainbow said sadly.

"Uh… read any good books lately?"

"Just history books. I'd tell you what they were about, but my brain is as dry as a rock."

"Speaking of rocks, did you know Pinkie Pie grew up on a rock farm?"

"Maybe I'll go work there as I have no other plans for the rest of my life."

"Oh, come on now, Rainbow. You can't give up on your dream!"

"Seems my dream has given up on me. Maybe I'll learn to shine shoes, sell hats, dig ditches…"

"Or maybe you'll be a Wonderbolt." Twilight said with a happy flip.

"Twilight, give it up! I have." Rainbow flew down, spotting her house in the clouds, while Twilight followed. Wearing a knowing smile on her face.

The two landed at the front door. "So, what do you remember about that flight?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing important. Except after Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia needed protective forces, so Earth, unicorn, and Pegasi formed the E.U.P. Guard of the Protective Pony Platoons."

Rainbow's eyes widened in realization. Did she just remember something from the history lesson?

Twilight Sparkle smiled, "Yes…?"

Rainbow's brain kicked into high gear as more knowledge came to her mind. With each word, she grew happier, and happier, "And, at the celebration of the first Celestial year of peace, an elite flying squadron performed, headed by General Firefly, who later named the group the Wonderbolts!"

"Uh-huh…?"

"Commander Easyglider established flight choreography that is still used by the Wonderbolts today!" due to her happiness, Rainbow flipped into the air.

"Yes!"

"I… I know the history! I know it all! But how in Equestria did that happen?"

"You learned it!"

"Yeah, I got _that_! But how?"

Twilight spread her wings open and led Rainbow Dash back down to the ground. The rainbow pony was amazed to see a large portion of the town, including Team Avatar, even the arisender kids, all standing before her with all sorts of Wonderbolt themed items, posters and costumes. Fluttershy and Rarity were dressed up as Luna and Celestia.

"Wha-what's going on?" Rainbow asked, still confused.

Korra walked over and explained, "Well, on our first flight, we discovered that you catalog everything that happens all around you when you're flying, without even thinking about it!

Twilight explained next, "So, we made use of your special skills by enlisting everybody to help you learn the history of the Wonderbolts!"

Rainbow started to remember everything she had seen previously during the flight, thinking only about what she saw down bellow.

…

_The first thing she noticed was Fluttershy, dressed as Princess Celestia, and Rarity, dressed as Princess Luna. _

_"I, Princess Celestia, banish you, Princess Luna, to the moon."_

_"Noooooo!" Rarity dramatically said._

_The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted from down bellow, _

_Apple Bloom shouted, "Earth!"_

_Sweetie Belle shouted, "Unicorn!"_

_Scootaloo shouted, "Pegasus!"_

_In the same order, they each jumped onto the back of Big Macintosh._

_"E!"_

_"U!"_

_"P!"_

_"Eeyup!"_

_Fluttershy flew in her Celestia costume, "Let us celebrate our first Celestial year of peace!"_

_"Yeah, let's party!" Pinkie Pie shouted in her costume, "I'm General Firefly! Gee, my costume is itchy and unattractive, but I'm gonna assemble an awesome flying team!" she pulled the cord on a small cannon, unleashing paper stickers of the Wonderbolts symbol. "'ll call them... the Wonderbolts!"_

_Rarity walked on over with her uniform from before, "Streamlined style by Flaire De Mare!"_

_Jinora, Ikki and Meelo flew on their gilders, dressed as various Wonderbolt flyers. _

_"Admiral Fairweather!" Jinora shouted while gliding in her costume._

_"Colonel Purple Dart!" Ikki shouted._

_"Admiral Fairy Flight!" Meelo shouted._

_Bolin waved from down bellow, wearing a costume and fake pegasus wings on his back, giving a salute. _

_"General Flash!" he shouted_

_Korra even wore a costume as well as she flew on her glider, "Commander Easyglider!" _

_All throughout the flight, more and more ponies held out posters and pictures of the wonderbolts as they spoke more facts from history. Asami even had Spike shoot fireworks which were released into the sky while Korra and the airbender kids carried a banner with the Wonderbolts logo on it while Fluttershy flew beside it. _

_"The history of the Wonderbolts!"_

…_.._

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you all so much!" Rainbow couldn't contain herself and jumped into Korra's arms and she hugged her in return.

"You're welcome, but it all came from you."

"She's right." said Mako, "You learned without knowing you're learning. Your main focus is flying, but then your brain is also absorbing lots of other information! It's actually really brilliant!"

Rainbow Dash smiled her signature arrogant smile, "Ha, I always knew I was brilliant!"

The rest couldn't help but laugh along with Rainbow Dash. At long last, she finally mastered the history of the Wonderbolts. And it was all thanks to her friends.

"I just know you're gonna ace that test!" said Mako proudly.

"Thanks Mako, and I just know you're gonna ace your final police exam tomorrow."

The firebender's eyes then snapped wide open, "Gah! I completely forgot about that! I need to get back home and re-study!" he ran at full speed away from the group, before slowly returning back, "Can anybody give me a ride?"

(~)

A large crowd of people stood outside of the Police Headquarters, as the Polcie Academy's graduating class stood before the Chief of Police, Lin Beifong. She approached Mako, placing the badge on his new uniform and the young man saluted.

"Welcome to the force, kid."

Korra, Bolin, Asami and the Mane Six all cheered happily for their friend. Pinkie Pie gave a mighty "Whohoo!" while tossing confetti everywhere. Once the new cops dispersed to meet with their respected families, Mako was welcomed into a group hug from his friends, but Asami voluntarily remained out of it, but still smiled proudly at the firebender.

"We're so proud of you!" Twilight said. She and the others flinched when a confetti cannon went off, releasing the colorful papers all over them.

"Congratulations Officer Mako!" said the pink pony.

"Thanks you guys." Mako couldn't be happier. He now had his dream job and the best friends a guy could ask for. "So Rainbow, you didn't tell us, how did you do on the test?"

"Well, I don't want to brag but…." she took the paper from behind her and showed them the results of the test, "I got 100%, baby!"

More cheers were heard as the rainbow pony flipped in mid air.

"Rainbow, that's fantastic!" Mako said proudly.

"Now you're close to being a Wonderbolt!" Bolin said happily.

Before Rainbow could respond, Lin walked on over and petted the pony on the head. "I never got a chance to tell you, I was mighty impressed with how you took down that thief last week. You'd actually make a pretty good cop one day. You know, if ponies could be cops that is."

For some strange reason, the idea, to Rainbow Dash, didn't sound all that bad. She forced herself to chuckle, "Yeah. Me a cop? That'll be the day." she said with a giggle.

If only she knew at the time….if only she knew.

(~)

_And so, Rainbow Dash finally learned the history of the Wonderbolts, but she's not the only pony that needed a lesson. _

_One way of learning isn't better than another. After all, everybody is unique and individual._

_I hope to see you next time in_

Tales of Equestria.


	11. Filli Vanilli

_"Winter wrap up, winter wrap up!_

_Let's finish our holiday chee-whoa!_

_Excuse me! Can't a draconequus have a shower in peace?!_

_***snaps fingers and is now fully dressed***_

_Well, I suppose you're all here for another story, right? Fine. _

_This story is actually about my friend Fluttershy, and yet another tale about her overcoming her stage fright. It all began on a lovely morning in Ponyville. Fluttershy had just woken up to the sound of her song birds..._

**(~)**

**Filli Vanilli**

The sound of birds singing was always the one thing to take up Fluttershy every single morning. She opened the window of her cottage and smiled to greet her feathered companions. "Oh, good morning, little friends. Your singing is oh-so pretty." the birds chirped in response. "Yes, it is a very beautiful day today. Certainly something worth singing about."

As always, Fluttershy got to work. She always enjoyed feeding her little animal friends. It was her life's calling after all and nothing made her happier. She gave bird seeds for the birds, nice fresh vegetables for the rabbits, and corn for the chickens. All the while she sang with her beautiful sweet voice.

_There's music in the treetops_

_And there's music in the vale_

_And all around the music fills the sky_

She fed the ducks on the pond and the chipmunks in the trees.

_There's music by the river_

_And there's music in the grass_

_And the music makes your heart soar in reply_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah,_

She continued feeding the animals, all while vocalizing. Her enchanting voice was truly one of her many lovely talents. She gave honey to her big friendly bear friend and handed cheese to the little mice. She was suddenly startled when a second voice joined her. Vocalizing in a slightly deeper but still feminine and soulful tone, which complimented Fluttershy's soft voice perfectly.

_Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah_

Fluttershy smiled when she spotted her favorite Avatar on the ground. One of the many things they loved to do together was singing.

Growing up in the compound, Korra hardly had a chance to sing, which was something she enjoyed just as much as Fluttershy. She would often hide this from her teachers since they didn't think singing would serve her in her training. In secret, Korra would sing to her heart's content and now, with her new pony friends, she could do it anytime she liked. And she took every opportunity to do so.

The pony and Avatar sang together in perfect harmony. Korra danced while Fluttershy flew around her gracefully. Birds placed flowers on their hair and sang their big finish.

_Ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, aaaahhhh_

_Ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, ah, ah_

_Ah, ah, aaaahhhh_

The animals cheered and applauded for their beautiful singing voices. Both girls blushed. "Oh, thank you so much." said Fluttershy with a giggle, "You're too kind."

"You were amazing, Fluttershy." said Korra.

"You were just as amazing too, Korra. Such a beautiful voice, it's a shame you never had a chance to use it while you lived in the compound."

Korra removed a stray strand of hair from her face, "Yeah, my teachers didn't really think it was that important. Which is a real shame since…

_It never bothered me anyway!_

Korra sang and Fluttershy sang the words as well. This time, Fluttershy's voice sounded a bit louder than before, more confident and strong.

_It never bothered me anyway! _

"Wow!" the two friends were startled when they saw their friends, both human and pony, jaw-dropped by Fluttershy's sudden change in voice.

The yellow pegasus immediately hid behind Korra's legs, peaking her head a bit. "Oh… You... um... you didn't hear me... um…"

"Singing in the most beautiful voice ever?!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, yeah, we did!" said Rainbow Dash, making Fluttershy gasp and whimper behind Korra.

"Wow, I've never heard you sing a solo like _that_ before!" said Twilight.

"You almost sounded like Korra!" said Bolin, "Almost."

"It was like a little slice of heaven." said Applejack.

"With ice cream on top!" Pinkie added. She was extremely hyper today. More so than usual.

Rarity used her magic to drag the shy pegasus from behind Korra. "Fluttershy, I cannot believe your spectacular voice isn't part of the Pony Tones quintet!"

"Um, well, I—"

"What's the Pony Tones?" Asami asked.

Rarity levitated a poster from her saddle bag and showed it to Asami, who took the paper in her hand. "A musical group performing at Fluttershy's Ponyville Pet Center fundraiser tomorrow night! Oh, Fluttershy you simply must perform with us!"

Bolin agreed, "Yeah, you'd be the talk of the town!"

Fluttershy gulped, "The…talk of the town? Well, you see, I—"

"This simply _must_ be rectified." said Rarity, "You _must_ share that stunning voice at the event!"

Korra, being aware of Fluttershy's uncomfortableness, tried to speak with the unicorn, "Actually, Rarity, you see-" she was interrupted when Pinkie Pie started talking.

"Yeah! It'll be so amazing! You'll be there on stage, basking in the hooflights! The center of attention! A shining star! Everypony staring at you, judging you, jealously noting how they could be _way_ better than you? Why wasn't it them? _Why wasn't it them?"_ The more she spoke, the more and more nervous Fluttershy became, but the pink pony was oblivious as ever to her feelings. "And then, when you choke, they'll turn on you, becoming a seething, angry mob, and you'll be horribly humiliated, _never able to show your face in Ponyville again!"_

"Pinkie Pie!" having taken the paper back from Asami, Korra used it to thwack the pony on the head. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Aw, but I'm so good at it!"

Rarity sighed, "Come, Fluttershy, you will join the group, no doubt your voice must be known!"

"No."

The unicorn was shocked by her answer, "Pardon me?"

"I love the Pony Tones, I'm one of their biggest fans, but I do _not_ want to perform with them."

"Why not, Fluttershy?" Asami asked.

"Well, you see... I... I have... um... I... I have…" Fluttershy felt Korra's hand caress her head, which eased her fears. "I have... stage fright."

Pinkie gasped and hid behind the bushes, "Is it contagious?!"

Mako rolled his eyes, "Stage fright isn't a disease, Pinkie. It just means that Fluttershy is scared to perform in front of everybody."

"Wha?!" Bolin was stunned by this, "What's not to love about performing in front of screaming adoring fans?" he said, remembering the love and attention he received when in the pro-bending ring.

Asami crossed her arms, arced an eyebrow and smiled, "Not everyone's as bombastic as you, Bolin." The earthbender narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the heiress.

"I'm very thankful the Pony Tones are singing at the Pet Center fundraiser," said Fluttershy, "and I'm _really_ looking forward to the performance, but I'll be watching safely from the audience."

Rarity sighed in disappointment, "Well… I think it's a terrible waste of an exquisite talent, but I understand that you're not comfortable."

"Thank you. Besides, you already have the best voice to sing with you." she turned her head up to the Avatar, who blushed. "I just know you will be wonderful singing with the PonyTones at the fundraiser, Korra. Everypony loves your singing!"

Indeed, Korra had been asked to sing with the PonyTones, which was really more a request asked by both Fluttershy and Rarity. Korra, as always, was more than happy to help her pony friends. And the animals.

She scratched the back of her neck bashfully, "Well, it's the least I can do for you and the animals." she said sincerely. The animals agreed as they surrounded around Korra's feet, chirping or squeaking in motivation, and she received a hug from the pegasus.

Fluttershy then noticed her pet bunny gesture at his paw, indicating the time it was. "Oh! Angel's right. We'd better get going. There's a lot of work to do before tomorrow's event."

(~)

All of the ponies worked together to decorate the park for the fundraiser. Booths, banners, balloons, and flowers with ribbons decorated the trees, making them even more beautiful than before. Mako, Bolin, Asami, even the airbender children assisted as well. Jinora and Ikki airbended some of the flowers upwards where Rainbow Dash arranged them on the tree.

Underneath a gazebo, on a wooden stage, were the Pony Tones, which consisted of Rarity, Bic Mac, Korra and two ponies, Toe-Tapper and Torch Song. Toe-Tapper was a tall, skinny tall earth pony with a blue coat, dark blue hair, amber eyes and a five single eight note star as his cutie mark. Torch Song was a short, plump female earth pony with red and orange hair styled into a large bun, as well as her tail, and had a pale yellow coat and pink eyes. Her mane was decorated with aqua beads with one long strand over her left eye. Her cutie mark was a pink hat with a green card. They each wore green jackets with yellow undershirts with folded collars and white/blue-stripped bow ties. Korra mainly wore it on her hair instead of around her next and sat by the stage while the Pony Tones stood on it.

Rarity was the soprano, Bib Mac was bass along with Korra, Toe-Tapper was tenor and Torch Song was mezzo-soprano. Rarity cleared throat, Alright, Pony Tones, let's run through that again!" she blew on a pitch pipe and the Pony Tones started singing.

**Big MacIntosh;**

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah_

The Pony Tones sang along, a small trio of ponies watched them rehearse and were immediately mesmerized with their singing. Mako was there as well, supporting Korra. He gave her a thumbs up and she smiled in return.

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

Rarity winked to Korra, telling her it was her cue to sing. The Avatar felt a bit out of place at first but then remembered who this was for. So, she did what she loved to do.

**Korra:**

_Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice_

_But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Luckily you have a choice_

While they sang, Fluttershy was arranging a stand for bird houses. When Korra was singing her part of the song, the pony found herself singing along. However, she immediately stopped when she spotted a few ponies walk on by. They didn't hear her since she was singing low, but she didn't want to take that chance. She went back to listening to their singing

**Pony Tones:**

_When you find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you _

_(__**Rarity**__: Oh, you)_

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you_

**Korra: **

_Got the music in you _

_Oh, oh, oh_

Korra gasped once she realized she went a bit too far with her big finish and quickly covered her mouth. The other ponies looked at her with surprise. "I'm so sorry, I guess I got carried away."

"Don't apologize, darling. That was perfect!" Rarity exclaimed with joy, "Don't you agree, everypony?"

The Pony Tones all nodded in agreement. Korra's big finish sold the show for the pony tones and it balanced perfectly with then. Korra was a bit surprised by this, the last thing she wanted was to upstage anypony. Unlike bending, singing felt the most personal to her, and she rather sing with friends rather than just for show. She remembered singing for Republic City during the Equalist revolution to try and get people to get along, and the times she sang for Fluttershy to feel better. She sang from her heart which made it more personal for her, which was why she understood Fluttershy's reluctancy to sing in public. Korra may not have stage fright, but she knew how important it was for Fluttershy.

Speaking of Fluttershy, she had been listening to the ponies singing, all the while shaking her flank. She sighed dreamily as she leaned onto the side of the bridge. Korra was so lucky. Spike, who was watching the whole time, cheered with glee, "Woo-hoo, yeah! Rarity, Korra, you guys were awesome!"

The other ponies arched an eyebrow at the dragon. "Uh, thank you, Spike," said Rarity, "but this _is_ an ensemble."

The other three smiled at the dragon, awaiting for his critique. But, he singly shrugged it off. "Eh, the rest of you were pretty good too." the three ponies narrowed their eyes in annoyance.

Mako patted Korra on the back, "Well, I think you guys were all amazing. Especially you, Korra."

"I agree." said Fluttershy as she approached them, "You're voices were beautiful! Well done, Pony Tones."

"Thanks, Fluttershy!" Korra said graciously, "And thanks, Mako."

Rarity addressed to the singers, "Now, Pony Tones, I want you all to rest your voices for the remainder of the day. We'll do a final run-through tomorrow before the big event, alright?"

"Eeyup." said Big Mac.

"Sounds great!" said Torch Song with a smile. "Great solo, Avatar." she said to the human.

"Thanks." Korra blushed as the three ponies left the stage.

Fluttershy flew over to the human, standing between her and Rarity, "Oh, the Pony Tones are really gonna make the Ponyville Pet Center fundraiser so special. Thank you so much for helping me help the animals."

"Anything for you, Flutters." said Korra.

"Oh, yes." said Rarity, "It is wonderful when a plan comes together without any sort of drama, isn't it?"

"Unless, some gigantic unknown monster just happens to barge in and destroy everything in sight with no rhyme or reason." said Mako…only to receive strange looks from the Avatar and the two ponies. "What? Weird stuff happens to us all the time."

The firebender had his hair ruffled by the Avatar, making the four of them giggle. Then, suddenly, Korra released an unexpected sneeze. "Ah-ah-coho!"

Rarity gasped, "Oh dear! You're not getting cold now, are you?!"

Korra shook her head, "It was just as little sneeze. I'm fine. Ah-ah-_choo!_" she quickly covered her mouth, "I'll be okay."

(~)

The following morning, the rooster crowed and Fluttershy and Korra happily walked by the fundraiser, which looked absolutely beautiful. Angel Bunny was on Korra's head, the little creature had taken a liking to the Avatar. Especially how assertive she can be. When she said 'no', the bunny knew she meant business.

Korra even had Naga show up to play with the animals. The gigantic winter beast was having the time of her life with her new companions. Korra approached one of the deers and handed them an apple. How the animals adored her. If anyone from the human world ever saw her like this, they would not believe this was the tough-as-nails Avatar. But, this was how she was with her pony friends, a side to herself she hardly showed unless they were somebody or somepony she was close with.

Fluttershy noticed that Korra didn't look too good. Her eyes were a bit puffy and she was still sneezing every once in a while. "Ah-ah-a-choo!"

"You sure you don't have a cold?"

Korra sniffed a bit and scratched her nose, "Relax, I'm okay. Probably just the pollen. Ah-ah-a-choo!"

But Fluttershy was still not convinced. She knew Korra hatted getting sick, it made her feel helpless and useless. The two friends, and rabbit, approached the stage where the Pony Tones were suppose to meet up and rehearse. Toe-Tapper and Torch Song were already there. Angel jumped from Korra's head to her hands and she gently placed him down.

Torch Song greeted the two, "Morning, Fluttershy. Morning Korra!"

"Good morning, Pony Tones!" Fluttershy greeted.

Rarity then appeared from behind the gazebo, "Actually, we're the Pony Tones minus one tone. Big Mac is inconveniently late."

"Isn't that him right there?" Korra pointed to a wheezing and snorting big Mac who had just arrived, clearly having had to run like a mad stallion to get here.

"Well, there you are! Haven't I told you about punctuality?" Rarity didn't even give him a chance to answer as she used her magic to fix his bow-tie, "Nah-ah! I don't want to hear it! It's time to rehearse." she levitated a pitch pipe and blew on it.

The Pony Tones awaited for Big Mac to sing the first solo of the number, but for some strange reason, he did not sing. The others were already getting in rhythm with the song, but Mac still didn't open his mouth. The poor red stallion began to sweat and gulp nervously. This was very unlike him.

"Big Mac? Can you please start the song?" Rarity asked politely, though underneath she was already getting impatient. Sadly, she would receive an answer she did not want to hear, delivered in a cracking voice.

"Nope."

"Big Mac! Did you lose your voice?" the unicorn prayed to the heavens this wasn't so.

Big Mac gulped once more before responding, "Eeyup." he said in a croaking voice.

The Ponytones, Fluttershy and Korra all gasped in horror. Their lead had lost his voice! How were they suppose to perform without the base now!

"What happened?" Korra asked with concern.

"Well…"

….

_Big Mac recalled the memory from yesterday back on the farm. His sister Applejack stood on stage, speaking through the microphone to the audience, "Howdy, everypony, and welcome to the twelfth annual Ponyville turkey call! Who will take the title this year? Will it be somepony new? Or will the turkey call champion of six years defend his title to make it lucky number seven?"_

_Big Mac stood proudly on the stage with all six medals he won from the past turkey call contests he had won before. He couldn't take his eyes off of the golden turkey shaped trophy. However, once specific pink pony smiled evilly near the stage. This year would be here year, she was going to make sure of that._

_Granny Smith called out to her granddaughter from the audience, "We'll find out if you stop your gabbin' and get on with the goblin'!"_

_"Alright, everypony! Let's talk turkey! Big Mac, you're up!"_

_The stallion took center stage and inhaled deeply…._

…

Korra knew what was coming when Rarity used her magic to pull on Big Mac's bow-tie, narrowing her big blue eyes at him with anger.

"A…a…a turkey call? You lost your voice doing a... a _turkey call_?!"

"Lost his voice _and_ the title!" Pinkie Pie said as she hopped on by, wearing her new medal and doing an authentic turkey gobble.

"Now we can't perform tonight!" Rarity said in dismay. Fluttershy gasped but Korra would have none of it.

"Hold on! I'm pretty sure we can still perform at the fundraiser."

"She's right!" said Fluttershy, "Korra can take over for Big Mac." she insisted. However, she was surprised when Korra sneezed once more.

"Ah-_ah-choo!_" Korra sniffed and felt her throat, which felt soar. "You know, strike that." she said with nasal voice.

Rarity gasped in horror, "I knew it! You do have a cold! Now we _really_ can't perform!"

Fluttershy was already getting anxious, "Oh, no! You have to perform! Otherwise, the fundraiser will be a disaster!"

"Well, we cannot perform tonight with only three voices."

"Why not?"

"It would take rearranging all the music, and we just don't have time."

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I have no remedy for this situation."

Korra's eyes widened in realization, "Of course! A remedy! I know who can help! Ah-ah-ah-choo!"

(~)

Deep within the Everfree Forest, Zecora the zebra inspected big Bog Mac's soar throat and Korra's cold. She had a thermometer in her mouth and Zecora 'hmm'ed while she inspected them both. Big Mac opened his mouth wide for her to see. Once she was done she closed his mouth and took the thermometer from Korra's mouth, seeing how high her temperature was.

"Hmmm. I can cure this pony that is hoarse, but it will take a longer course."

"Uh, come again?" Rarity asked, always having a hard time understanding the zebra's speech pattern.

"She means she can fix Big Mac's voice." said Korra. Strangely enough, she could understand the zebra's rhymes very well.

Rarity sighed in relief, "Oh, thank goodness!"

"However, it won't mean he'll be better by tonight."

The unicorn groaned in dispair, "Ohhh!"

"What about my cold?" Korra asked.

Zecora began picking some herbs from her shelves, "Mm. I can mix a brew that can work just right, but it cannot heal you two by tonight."

Korra groaned in frustration, "I was afraid you'd say that."

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy exclaimed, "Ah! Where are we ever going to find a deep voice to replace Big Mac's?"

"Can't Bolin or Mako fill in instead?" Rarity asked the Avatar.

"I don't think even their voices are deep enough." said Korra, right before sneezing again, "Ah-ah-choo! Besides, Mako isn't the concert type, and Bolin would only end up stealing the show."

Zecora suddenly started to chuckle, making Rarity narrow her eyes. "Pardon me, Zecora, but this is no laughing matter! We need a bass voice for the harmonies to work! Without it, the performance will be ruined! And there goes Korra's big finale solo!"

"Please, forgive my strange elation, but I was not laughing at your situation."

"Then what?"

"Remember when you pony folk stumbled into poison joke? Miss Fluttershy had an unusual change, deepening her vocal range."

"I remember that story." said Korra with a giggle, "Hairity! That was hilarious!" she stopped once she took notice of the unicorn's angry glare. She cleared her throat, "Not funny."

"Wait, I think you're onto something, dear." Rarity said while pondering, "Fluttershy's voice became really low, making it sound like…"

"Flutterguy!" the pink-haired pegasus concluded.

Korra started laughing again, only to receive looks from the others, "I'm sorry, but it's kinda clever." her nose twitched once more, "Ah-ah-a-choo!….yeah, I deserved that."

Zecora demonstrated them a bowl of the magical blue plant, "With these leaves I can mix a brew, creating the same effect on you."

"Zecora, that's fantastic!" Rarity said with glee. Things were finally turning around for everyone.

Even Fluttershy was on board with this, "Yes! I'll do it! I'd do _anything_ for the animals!"

"Why, you'd even appear on stage!"

"Oh. Except that."

Rarity and Korra simultaneously face palmed/hoof themselves while groaning.

"I just can't bring myself to sing on stage in front of everypony."

Korra tapped her chin and she got an idea, "What if you sang _not_ in front of everypony?"

"Huh?"

"What if Big Mac was _on _stage, moving his lips while you're _behind_ the curtains singing his part? It'll be just like singing in your house! Nopony will know it's you!"

"That's brilliant Korra!" Rarity said while Big Mac nodded in agreement.

"Even still, I just don't think I could sing in front of…"

"You must! For the animals!" Rarity levitated a weeping Angel bunny in front of Fluttershy and Korra gave her the big sad blue puppy eyes. Her greatest weaknesses.

She couldn't let the animals down, no matter how scared she was. She couldn't say no.

"Oh… Okay then... Mix it up!"

(~)

That night, ponies all around were having the most wonderful time with the animals. One pony played with a seal lion, while little fillies adopted kitten and puppies of their own. Ikki and Jinora assisted in handing them out while Bolin already had his hands full with cotton candy, balloons and a giant stuffed panda. Mako and Asami stood with the large crowd of ponies, eagerly awaiting for the PonyTones to perform. Korra, who was still sneezing, was covered in her parka and carried a box of tissues with her. Mako looked at her with concern.

"Korra, you really shouldn't be out at night like this." he said.

"I know." she responded with her nasal voice, "But I just want to show my support."

"I understand but-"

"Look, I promise, once the show's over I'll go home. Come on, _Pleeeeeeeeeeese!_" the young Avatar hit the firebender with her big blue eyes once more. He knew he could not resist.

He sighed in defeat, "Fine. But you're going home after it's over." he said in a calm yet stern voice.

Korra complied, she knew Mako was just being his overly protective self. However, a certain heiress nearby just rolled her eyes at the scene. "She gets away with almost anything." she said bitterly under her breath.

"What'ya say, Asami?" Bolin asked while he chewed on his cotton candy.

"Nothing!" the heiress blushed in embarrassment. She didn't really hate Korra, she didn't want to, but sometimes the way she could just 'magically' get out of any situation tended to make her envious at times. Though she still did a good job with hiding this.

Meanwhile, behind the curtain, Rarity was giving the pony tones one final pep-talk, "Alright, this is it everypony. Remember, do it just like we practiced!"

Fluttershy inhaled deeply, ready for her big 'performance'. She was so nervous, but she knew she was doing this for a good cause. Rarity and the Pony Tones walked onto the stage, the ponies stomped their hooves to clap. Spike was clapping with excitement, but his view was blacked by a grown pegasus pony and his little filly daughter. The dragon was then lifted up by Mako who placed him in his shoulders so he could get a better view of the performance. Particularly, Rarity.

"Good evening, citizens of Ponyville!" said the unicorn to the public, looking as dazzling as always and just as confident, "I want to thank you all for coming out tonight and generously supporting the Ponyville Pet Center! Thanks to your kindness, pets are finding loving homes, and we're sure to meet our fundraising goal!"

"Probably hidden'." said Applejack while rolling her eyes, "You know how much that pony hates the spotlight."

Korra began fiddling with the edge of her parka. She had a feeling Fluttershy was already getting nervous behind the stage. She only hoped she didn't croak.

"So, with no further ado, please welcome the Pony Tones!"

The crowd cheered and the fireflies on the stage lit up as the PonyTones walked out, ready to sing. Well, almost all of them. Fluttershy gulped, her heart was racing and if she had hands they would be moist with sweat right about now. Rarity blew on the pitch pipe, starting the song. But nothing happened.

Fluttershy was trembling from behind while the ponies were all starting to question what was going on. Rarity was slowly growing anxious and Korra knew what was happening. As if by instinct, she clapped her hands together, closed her eyes and silently whispered, "You can do this, Fluttershy. You can do this." suddenly, a small little glow appeared on her chest that nobody, not even herself noticed.

Behind the stage, Fluttershy was close to running away, but her guilt told her to stay. Her voice was mute, she was too scared to sing. Until she heard a familiar voice in her head.

_"You can do this, Fluttershy."_

The pony gasped. She knew it was Korra's voice. How this happened, she didn't know. But hearing the Avatar's voice gave her the courage she needed. She could do this. And so, she opened her mouth...

**Fluttershy:**

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah_

Unlike her normal sweet sounding voice, Fluttershy's singing was deep like a male's, rivaling that of Big Mac's. As she sang, the stallion lip sang to her words and nopony else was the wiser. Their plan was working.

Korra sighed in relief, she had no idea how or what exactly she did, she didn't even know if she did anything, but whatever it was, Fluttershy was singing. Behind the curtain maybe, but she was singing.

**The Pony Tones;**

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

Fluttershy couldn't believe it. She was…actually having fun!

**Fluttershy;**

_Trot outside and you see the sunshine_

_Something's in the air today_

_Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine_

_Everything's gonna be a-okay_

**Toe-Tapper and Torch Song;**

_If you listen carefully_

_On every corner there's a rhythm playing_

**Toe-Tapper and Rarity;**

_Then it happens suddenly_

_The music takes you over and you'll_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Oh, you)_

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you_

**Fluttershy;**

_Oh, o-o-oh_

The entire crowd was enchanted by the performance, especially by the passion and energy coming from 'Big Mac'. Even Cherrilee couldn't help but swoon at the stallion.

_Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice_

_But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer_

Team Avatar was clapping to the rhythm as were everypony else. Korra felt so proud of Fluttershy, who was having the best time ever singing her heart out just like she loved to do.

**The Pony Tones;**

_Luckily you have a choice_

_When you find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Oh, you)_

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you_

_Got the music, got the music in you!_

**Fluttershy:**

_In you!_

_Oh, oh, oh!_

The fireflies flew off the stage as Fluttershy did her big finish in honor of Korra. The crowd cheered for the PonyTones, who waved in gratitude as they chanted their name;

"Pony Tones! Pony Tones!"

Fluttershy had never felt so wonderful in her life. For a moment she thought the applauds was for her, until she reminded herself that they did not see her. Non the less, she did not feel upset. She did it, she sang with them, she saved the show. She peeked from the curtain and spotted Korra among the audience. The pony promised to thank her latter on.

(~)

Ikki and Jinora was incredibly surprised when, literally, a stamped of ponies came over and adopted every animal at the fundraiser. The young girls were dumbfounded.

"Wow, they move fast." said Jinora.

Team Avatar and the rest of the Mane Six and Spike approached the stage once the crowd dispersed. "Pony Tones! That was truly amazing!" Twilight said with praise.

"That was the best performance I've ever seen!" Bolin exclaimed with such enthusiasm and praise.

"And _you_ sounded better than ever, big brother!" Applejack proudly winked at Big Mac, who blushed and smiled nervously. He hoped she wouldn't find out it wasn't him singing the whole time. He knew better than to tangle with his littler sister when she got mad.

Korra spotted Fluttershy coming from behind the stage. The two smiled and made their way towards one another, until Ikki appeared in front of the pegasus. "Fluttershy, you were on the wrong side of the curtain! You totally missed the show!"

Rarity tried to come up with a cover story, she knew if Korra said anything the others would know she was lying. But, like the skilled actress she was, she managed to come up with the perfect cover.

"Uh, just like a true professional, Fluttershy was backstage making sure everything ran smoothly!"

Korra smiled and whispered to Fluttershy, "And it was perfect."

Fluttershy felt such an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. The friends were then surprised when a male pegasis pony wearing a black shirt, glasses and had a black beard approached them. Beside him was a filly with brown hair and pale brown coat with paw prints for a cutie mark and wearing a silver plastic tiara.

"That was fantastic, Pony Tones!" said the pegasus father in a hispanic accent. His daughter flew around them on her tiny wings with such speed, while caring her new puppy. Like her father, she too had a hispanic accent.

"Why, thank you!" said Rarity.

The little filly tapped her father's nose to get him to ask the PonyTones a question. "And we were wondering if you would consider performing at my daughter Zipporwhill's cute-ceañera."

Zipporwhill's eyes sparkled with hope, her tiny little wings flapping, "Will you? Will you?"

Rarity could never say no to a face like that. "We'd love to! When is it? Next week? Next month?"

"Tomorrow!" Zipporwhill and her father said in unison.

Rarity, Big Mac, Fluttershy and Korra all jerked up and shock. They knew Fluttershy wouldn't perform again, once was hard enough. Rarity lowered her ears sadly as she gave the family the bad news, "Oh, gracious, I'm terribly sorry, but that's much too last minute."

Zipporwhill's spirits dropped, "Oh, no…"

Even her father shared her disappointment, "Well… I understand."

As the father and daughter walked away sadly, Fluttershy felt a tug in her heart. She spoke to Rarity in her current deep male voice, "Oh, Rarity, we can't disappoint that sweet little filly."

Both the unicorn and Avatar were a tad surprised by this, but they also knew Fluttershy could never say no to a cute little child. "You sure you're up for it?" Korra asked in her hushed/nasal voice."

Fluttershy smiled in reply, "I'm sure I can."

(~)

The following day, the Pony Tones sang for Zipporwhill's party. Just like the previous night, Fluttershy sang her heart out from behind the scenes. This was just perfect, she could sing as much as she wanted….without having to step one hoof onto the stage. She could sing in private and have others enjoy her singing. They never knew it was her, but somebody else.

The group sang their signature song.

**The Pony Tones;**

_When you find you've got the music_

_Got the music in you_

_Find you've got the music_

_Got the music in you_

_Got the music, got the music in you!_

The adorable little foals cheered and galloped their hooves for their performance. Zipporwhill was the most thrilled as she flapped her little wings like a hummingbird and flew all around the stage, cheering and laughing with joy.

"Whoo, yeah, alright! We got the Pony Tones, we got the Pony Tones!"

Fluttershy's heart filled up with so much joy when she saw how happy that little filly was. This may have been Zipporwhills party, but Fluttershy had gained the greatest gift she could ever ask for.

One the singing group headed backstage, Rarity smiled proudly at her best friend. "Fluttershy, that was even better than last night's!" she praised, making the yellow pony blush.

Another pony approached the group, the mayor herself, and Fluttershy instinctively flew up towards the celling. With her new airbending powers, she could swoop up faster than ever. Thankfully for her.

"That was amazing, Pony Tones!" said the pony mayor, "And it would be even more amazing if you could perform at my ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow!"

The ponies all looked at one another with concern. They couldn't agree to this, the last thing they wanted was to pressure Fluttershy. But the young pony pondered on this. Singing for the party and the fundraiser were already loads of fun. She didn't want it to end. Not so soon.

Rarity politely tried to decline the offer, "Oh, Mayor, we would love to, but…" she stopped herself when she heard Fluttershy whisper to her from above. The unicorn cleared her throat, "Would you excuse us for a second, Mayor?"

Out of hearing range, Fluttershy flew down to her friend, who spoke to her in a hushed tone, "Don't worry, Fluttershy, you don't have to perform again."

"But we wouldn't want to disappoint the Mayor." said Fluttershy, still in her deep male voice.

"Really?" Rarity was a bit surprised by this. Fluttershy nodded her head in yes, making the unicorn smile before addressing to the mayor.

"Well, then... Mayor? The Pony Tones will happily perform at your ceremony!"

There was not one face in the room that wasn't smiling. Fluttershy couldn't wait for the ceremony, she was having the time of her life singing with the Pony Tones.

A part of her hoped it would never end.

(~)

The next day, Fluttershy hid inside a barrel while Big Mc lip-sang in public with the Pony Tones. A huge crowd surrounded them. Like always, Fluttershy stole the show…or, at least, Big Mac did.

**Fluttershy;**

_Trot outside and see the sunshine_

_Something's in the air today_

_Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine_

_Everything's gonna be a-okay_

Two mares who worked at the spa galloped with glee as Fluttershy watched them from a hole in the barrel, which allowed for her singing to be heard.

After the show, the two mares came to Rarity, asking if they could perform at the spay the next day. But Rarity declined the offer. This was the last time they would push Fluttershy. However, the pony tapped the unicorn's shoulder, "We wouldn't want to disappoint the spa patrons." she said.

How could Rarity say 'no' now?

The group did as the ponies asked and sang for the ponies at the spa. Their lovely yet soothing voices brought even more ease for the costumers. Fluttershy hid in the pool and sang using an underwater helmet with a long tube extending from above the top of her head. As always, more and more ponies asked for them to perform.

One pony couple asked them to sing for the school ponies by Miss Cherrilee. After that, one of at the fouls asked them to sing for her parent's anniversary party. Rarity, once again, tried to decline, but Fluttershy insisted by saying, "We wouldn't want to disappoint them on their special day."

After the anniversary party, they were asked to perform at Sugar Cube Corner for their big bake sale. On that same day, Pema had visited the bakery and kindly asked the Pony Tones to perform for her dear friend's opening of her new book store in Republic City.

Now even humans could enjoy their harmonious music. They were such a big hit, they were even on the newspapers. But, as always, Fluttershy was never seen. She always hid behind a building, or underneath the stage, ect. She would always find some clever way to keep away from the viewing public.

**The Pony Tones;**

_If you listen carefully_

_On every corner there's a rhythm playing_

_Then it happens suddenly_

_The music takes you over and you'll_

_Find you've got the music_

But, as they continued to perform, Fluttershy got more and more into it, event going so far as to add additional lyrics for Big Mac to 'sing'. She was going so fast and so unexpectedly that he had a hard time keeping up with her words, making him sweat nervously. But Fluttershy didn't care, nor did she know. She was just happy to be singing so much. It was her dream come true.

**Fluttershy:**

_Find the music_

_Deep down in your heart_

_You can find it, oh yeah!_

_You got the music in you now_

**Pony Tones:**

_Got the music, got the music in you!_

Big Mac had to take in one big deep sigh of relief. This spirited little filly was going to be the death of him if she kept this up. And he wasn't even using his voice.

(~)

In her free time, Fluttershy visited Korra, who was already recuperating from her cold. The Avatar smiled as her little pony friend flew around the room, still using her deep male voice, as she explained in detail every wonderful moment.

"You should have seen how happy everypony was! These past two weeks have been the best of my life!"

"Fluttershy, I'm so proud of you." Korra said as Fluttershy flew down and sat beside her on the bed. "I'm just upset that nobody will ever know it was really you singing and not Big Mac."

"I know, but I don't really care about the fame. All I like is to sing and make other ponies happy. Even if they can't see my face."

Korra did not hesitate to wrap her arms around the little pony, making her giggle. "You are just the sweetest thing ever!"

"Say, you think you would want to sing with me and the Pony Tones some time? Your cold is getting better after all."

Korra pondered for a moment, "Hmmmm. I'll think about it. Right now, I'm just happy that you're happy. I know how much singing means to you."

"And to you. I never would have done this without your encouragement, Korra."

The two friends shared one more warm and tender hug. Fluttershy always made Korra feel proud of her in anything she did. She truly was the little sister she never had.

(~)

The following night, a large crowd was gathered, once again, at Sugar Cube Corner for another performance by the Pony Tones. Spike handled security, along with Meelo. The two were wearing sunglasses and holding a clipboard. Meelo stopped one pony from entering.

"Hold it right there, missy!" he looked over on his clipboard before addressing back to her. "Okay, you're on the list. But I'm watching you."

From inside, Fluttershy peeked from the window. She smiled once she spotted Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami in the audience as well. This was going to be so much fun!

"Fluttershy, we must talk to you." said Rarity as she and Big Mac approached her, "Big Mac's voice is all better!"

"Eeyup."

"Now you can bathe in the poison joke antidote and sound like your lovely self again."

Fluttershy froze. This was it, this was the end of the line. She didn't need to sing anymore, and just when Korra was well enough to see her perform. She didn't want it to end. She couldn't let it end.

"What's wrong?" Rarity asked.

"It's just... I didn't know that last performance was my _last_ performance." with her ears lowered and her tail limp on the ground, Fluttershy started to walk away.

"Fluttershy, stop!"

She stopped herself halfway to the door when Rarity called her out. She couldn't let her friend be miserable, not after how far she had come.

"Ohhh…" Rarity turned towards Big Mac, "Would it be okay if Fluttershy sang for you one last time?"

Fluttershy looked up at the big brother stallion with her big shimmering aqua eyes. Big Mac grew up with two sisters so he knew that whenever one of them gave him that face it meant they wanted something wholeheartedly. He smiled at the young pony.

"Hmm. Eeyup."

Fluttershy smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling like stars as she flew over and hugged the two ponies in gratitude.

This was going to be her final performance. She was determined to make it count.

(~)

The lights dimmed and the crowd awaited for the show to start. Mako looked around, noticing the missing pony. "Isn't Fluttershy coming?" he asked the Avatar.

"I haven't seen her these past two weeks." said Bolin.

Korra tried to come up with an on the spot excuse. "Um…animal problems?" she immediately slapped herself in the face. She was really bad at this kind of stuff. Luckily, she didn't have to keep this up for the spotlight shinned onto the stage and the Pony Tones walked out, earning the applause they deserved.

Fluttershy sang like never before. She was going to make this the best performance she had ever given. However, as she sang with such passion and style, Big Mac had a hard time following her words, his lips were out of sync with her lyrics.

**Fluttershy;**

_Hey, find it, oh why, you can find it_

_In your heart, yeah, find the music, yeah_

_It's in you right now! Oh, yeah!_

_You can find the music!_

Korra noticed the struggle Big Mac had with following Fluttershy's singing. This was not a good sign.

To make matters worse, Fluttershy was dancing and spinning from behind the curtain. She shoved Big Mac forward to sing front and center. The poor stallion was so nervous as she continued to struggle with his lip-singing.

Finally, Fluttershy went too far. She was so into the moment that she accidentally kicked the rails that was holding the curtains. They fell all over the Pony Tones and they stopped their singing, but Fluttershy kept going. Unaware of the millions of eyes and spotlight on her right now.

_You can find the music!_

_Yeah, yeah, I love the music, ye—_

The pony stopped once she finally came back to reality…she had been exposed. Everybody in the audience was shocked by this reveal.

"_Fluttershy?!"_

"I did not see that coming!" Bolin said.

Mako was shaking his head, trying to make sense of this mess. "Wait-how-did she-I mean-her voice is-what?!"

The poor pony was shaking in fear, the spotlight directly on her. She was mortified, this was her worse nightmare come true. They now knew she had been singing for Big Mac this whole time. Would they hate her? Would they judge her for singing for somepony else? Would they not like her singing anymore now that they knew?

Korra couldn't sit down and let this happen. She was not about to let her best friend throw all she has worked for out of fear. She opened her mouth,

_Find the music in you_

Fluttershy stopped trembling when she heard Korra's beautiful singing voice. Her strong, confident and powerful voice she loved to hear and sing along to.

All eyes were on the Avatar, even though the light was on Fluttershy. She stood up and continued to sing to friend.

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah_

Somehow, Korra's singing relaxed her. Fluttershy found a bit more courage to sing along with her.

**Fluttershy:**

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah_

Korra smiled and continued to sing backup for Fluttershy. Slowly, the pony began to feel more confident and stopped her shaking. The Pony Tones removed the curtain from over them and smiled at what was happening.

**Fluttershy:**

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da _

_(__**Korra:**__ Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah _

_(__**Korra:**__ Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da _

_(__**Korra:**__ Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

_Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah _

_(__**Korra: **__Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

**Fluttershy:**

_Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice_

_But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer_

**Korra and Fluttershy;**

_Luckily you have a choice_

The Pony Tones then joined in the singing, wowing the crowd even more. Fluttershy wasn't afraid anymore. With Korra singing with her, she felt more confident, just like she was.

**The Pony Tones and Korra;**

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Oh, you)_

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you_

**Fluttershy;**

_Trot outside and you see the sunshine_

_Something's in the air today_

_Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine_

_Everything's gonna be a-okay_

**Toe-Tapper and Torch Song;**

_If you listen carefully_

_On every corner there's a rhythm playing_

**Toe-Tapper and Rarity;**

_Then it happens suddenly_

_The music takes you over and you'll_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music in you _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Oh, you)_

_Find you've got the music _

_(__**Rarity:**__ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_

_Got the music_

**Fluttershy and Korra;**

_Got the music, got the music_

_Got the music in you!_

Fluttershy sang the last note while doing and air flip. Once it was over she was once again brought back to reality when she heard everybody cheering for her. They loved her singing, even if she did sound like a guy.

But while they cheered, Fluttershy's heart beat fast. The song was over and now all eyes were on her. Her excitement faded, only to be replaced with fear. The fear clouded her mind and hears and she was deff to the applause. Without saying another word, Fluttershy galloped away from the scene.

Once she was gone, everybody looked on in curiosity, wondering why she ran way like that. Applejack approached her older brother, narrowing her eyes while Rarity backed away slowly.

"Big Mac, you got some 'splainin' to do!" she and Big Mac were face to face, until she started asking him questions.

"Turkey call?"

"Eeyup."

"Trash your voice?"

"Eeyup."

"Zecora remedy?"

"Eeyup."

"Not quick enough?"

"Nnope."

"Needed a deep voice?"

"Eeyup."

"Poison joke?"

"Eeyup."

"Flutterguy?"

"Eeyup."

"Better now?"

"Eeyup."

Applejack then turned over to the Avatar, "You knew about this?"

"Eeyup." Korra replied rather stoically, she knew this was coming.

"Didn't say anything."

"Nnope."

"Knew we'd figure out you were lying?"

"Eeyup."

"And that shy filly was livin' her dream in the shadows because she couldn't bring herself to come into the spotlight?"

This time, both Korra and Big Mac replied, "Eeyup."

"Well, for corn's sake! Let's go!"

(~)

The friends all hurried to Fluttershy's cottage. Korra and the Mane Six entered first with Mako, Bolin and Asami as second. However, they each hit their heads when entering. The house may be big enough for them once inside, but they had to crunch down just to walk through the door.

Korra called out to the pony. "Fluttershy, come on out. I know you're here."

"Yes…I'm here." the normal, original sweet voice of the pegasus pony was heard from upstairs. Fluttershy wore a towel over her head, having already bathe in the poison joke antidote.

"That was totally unbelievable!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, interrupting Korra in the process as she climbed up the walls reaching up to Fluttershy.

"I mean, the curtain came up and there you were, singing in front of everypony! And you know, I don't think anypony was jealous, 'cause there certainly wasn't an _angry mob_! But it must have been _horrible_ standing there on stage, all eyes_glued_ directly on you! It's like you were living your own personal worst nightmare!"

"_**Pinkie Pie!**_"

All of her friends called her out on her blunt and incredibly reckless action, which only made poor sweet Fluttershy start to cry.

"It was. It was!" Fluttershy flew out of the cottage and everybody else narrowed their eyes at Pinkie Pie.

"What? Too much?"

"Ya think?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

The others hurried out and ran after Fluttershy. Mako called out to the pony, "What Pinkie meant to say is that you were really great!"

Pinkie peaked her head out from the door frame, "Wait! Didn't I say that?"

"Hardly!" Rarity stated as she galloped by her.

"Whoops." Pinkie Pie galloped after her friends, after Fluttershy, while shouting at the top of her lungs, "_You were great!"_

Fluttershy continued to cry, nearly out of breath, while Rainbow Dash flew beside her. "You totally blew my mind!"

But Flutters only galloped faster, only to stop when Asami blocked her path.

"It was incredible!" said the heiress. But Fluttershy still wasn't convinced. She flew up and covered her face while he laid on a roof.

Pinkie Pie climbed up to her, "Though, no offense... you kind of sounded like a dude."

Fluttershy flew off crying once more and Pinkie received two very nasty glared from Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"Uh, a great-sounding dude!" Pinkie added.

Finally, Fluttershy stopped her running and wiped away her tears. She turned around to face her friends, but her expression was stern and serious, nothing like before. Even her tone of voice sounded deadpan serious.

"Well, thank you all. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Because I'm never going to sing in front of anypony ever again."

She began galloping away once more, her friends gasped in shock before following her.

"Are you kidding me?!" Pinkie exclaimed while she jumped off of the roof and galloped along.

Using her airbending, Korra twirled herself upwards and landed several feet in front of Fluttershy, forcing the pony to come to an unexpected stop. They had reached the stage from earlier.

"No! No more running!" the Avatar said sternly, which was very unlike her to behave around Fluttershy. She was never this stern with her.

Fluttershy panted, already out of breath and strands of her pink mane covered her face in a messy manner. Korra simply stood there with her arms crossed, looking down at the pony who only looked back up at her.

"I just don't understand _why_, Fluttershy." said Rarity once they all caught up to the two. "After all, _you're_ the one that wanted the Pony Tones to sing for every silly thing that was requested of us."

Fluttershy removed the stray hairs from her face and turned to face the unicorn, "You mean, you knew I really wanted to perform?"

"Of course I knew! One would have to be blind not to see how much you were enjoying yourself, sharing your voice for others to enjoy it."

Asami spoke next, "And, for all her babbling, Pinkie Pie was right about one thing."

Pinkie arched an eyebrow, "Only _one_?!"

Bolin them jumped onto the stage, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerative manner, "When that curtain fell, and everypony saw you singing, you lived your worst nightmare!… Was it really that bad?"

Fluttershy covered her face, "Yes!"

"Well, what was so bad about it?" Twilight asked.

"The thunderous applause?" Rainbow asked.

"The praise for your fantastic singing'?" Applejack asked.

"Making all of those ponies happy?" Mako asked.

"How much fun you were having?" Asami asked.

"The _screaming fans_?!" Pinkie Pie asked loudly, making Fluttershy jump up onto the stage.

Korra sat down, leaning against the stage as she spoke to Fluttershy like she always did. With compassion.

"Before I came to Republic City, I use to hate talking in front of large crowds, let alone sing in public. But sometimes being afraid can stop you from doing what you love, and hiding behind those fears means you're only hiding from yourself. You girls taught me that, remember?"

Fluttershy did remember. She remembered that time when Korra was terrified of Amon because he would take away her bending, but her fears was not only keeping her from being herself, but also from being honest with others and herself.

"It's always better to face those fears, because once you do, you can be the best pony you can possibly be." Korra hugged her sweet little pony, who nuzzled her face against hers.

She knew Korra was right, facing her fears did help her. She realized she lived to sing because she loved to share her talent. The same way Korra shared her singing with hers. That was why the Avatar sang with her during that last performance. She wanted Fluttershy to remember why she did this in the first place.

It was all for love and joy.

(~)

The next morning, Fluttershy performed on stage with the Pony Tones. Her first debut as an official Pony Tone. This time, Korra let her sing by herself. She wanted the pony to understand that while Korra will always be there when she needed her, she had to learn to stand on her own too feet. Or hooves.

**Fluttershy;**

_There's music in the treetops_

_And there's music in the vale_

_And all around the music fills the sky_

_There's music by the river_

_And there's music in the grass_

_And the music makes your heart soar in reply_

**The Pony Tones;**

When you find you've got the music

**Fluttershy;**

_You've got to look inside and find_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Find you've got the music_

**Fluttershy;**

_The music deep inside you_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Find you've got the music_

**Fluttershy;**

_'Cause when you look inside, you'll see it_

**The Pony Tones;**

_Find you've got the music_

**Fluttershy;**

_You're gonna find it, gonna find_

**The Pony Tones;**

_You've got the music_

_Got the music, got the music_

_Got the music in you!_

The Mane Six and Team Avatar cheered as did the rest of the audience…which were really just Fluttershy's animals. The stage was really set up in front of Fluttershy's cottage this entire time.

Rainbow Dash flew up and hugged her, "You did it, Fluttershy!"

"See? That wasn't so bad." Mako said.

Pinkie Pie then started jumping up and down, "And you didn't look completely petrified by the fact that we're all staring at you at all!" she then took out from her big bouncy hair what appeared to be a dumpling sprinkled with some kind of spice.

Twilight's eyes widened at this, "Pinkie, what are you eating?!"

"Spicy dumplings! Want one?"

The alicorn quickly slapped the treat away. "No! Pinkie, you know you can't eat spicy dumplings, they make you reckless! Well, more reckless than usual."

"That would explain a lot." said Bolin while scratching his head.

Korra petted Fluttershy's head, "Well, how do you feel?"

"Surprisingly… okay!"

Rarity smiled, "Fantastic, because the Pony Tones have been booked for the Apple Family Zap Apple Jam Extraordinaire!"

"Oh, no... I couldn't do that!" Fluttershy immediately hid behind the curtain, much to the dismay of her friends. "I'll get there someday. But for now... baby steps, everypony. Baby steps."

While some of them thought it was silly for her to still be shy after everything, they still understood her decision. Fluttershy was sure to keep on singing, not for attention, but simply because she loved it and because it made her friends happy.

Which, in return, made her happy as well.

(~)

_"And that day forward was only the beginning to Fluttershy becoming the strong and confident pony she is today. _

_She never stopped singing and she never stopped caring. Just goes to show, facing your fears really can help you grow into a better you._

_Hope to see you next time for another installment of_

Tales of Equestria!


	12. It ain't easy being breezie

_"Hello again, my friends! Here for another story, I presume?_

_Well, boy do I have a doozey for you all today!_

_I remember that one time when I visited Twilight and Princess Cadance, Fluttershy was away on a trip to see the creatures known as the Breezies. _

_She learned so much about them and on one particular day, she and the others gathered to greet them. But, let's just say that the little creatures may have overstayed their welcome._

_*(~)*_

_**Proverbs 14:12-13~**_

_There is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in the way of death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief._

***(~)***

**It Ain't Easy Being Breezie**

Fluttershy had all of her friends, both pony and human, gathered in a large grassy field. "Okay, everybody. And everybody. As you know, the adorable fairy creatures known as Breezies are about to come through Ponyville."

Bolin rose his hand to ask a question. "Do they bite?"

"Oh, no of course not. They're the sweetest creatures you will ever meet." she replied. He rose his hand again, but Fluttershy already had her answer ready. "Yes, they are as tiny as they say." Bolin rose his hand once more and, again, Fluttershy answered before he could ask, "No, you don't have to bring them any offerings. They are just passing by on their way back to their home to take the pollen they've collected on their travels."

"Yes! Ooh, it's so exciting!" Pinkie Pie said with glee as she surprised Fluttershy by hanging upside-down by her tail, swinging herself on a branch. "Ah! I can't wait for Rainbow Dash and Korra to make the breeze for them so I can see how cute they are up close!"

Even Rainbow Dash herself was excited, "I've never done it before, not that I won't be totally awesome at it, because I totally will! Remember Korra, go easy on the breeze. I know you tend to get a big aggressive with the airbending."

The Avatar waved her hand in a 'whatever' fashion, "Relax, R.D. I've got this."

"And that breeze is very important," said Fluttershy, "but so is cheering on those teeny-tiny little things, so they have the confidence to ride that breeze to their native land. Did I mention how tiny they are?"

Bolin rose his hand up again, "Exactly, how tiny?"

Korra pulled out a piece of long rectangular paper and shoved it into his face, "Here's a pamphlet. Educate yourself."

Bolin opened it and immediately started reading, "Wow! So tiny!"

"I was thinking we could do a special Breezie cheer!" said Fluttershy.

"I _love_ cheers!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly, making Fluttershy flinch.

"But these cheers should be _quiet_ cheers. We don't want to startle them. They need to be able to concentrate. Why don't we try it? You can do it, Breezies."

The rest of the human and pony friends all cheered at the same time, "You can do it, Breezies!" However, the cheer was much too loud.

"Oh, my."

Applejack chuckled lightly, "Heh, sorry, Fluttershy. I had no idea how hard it was to do a cheer quietly."

"Me neither." said Bolin, "Especially when I'm so used to folks cheering my name when I enter the ring." he jumped up and pounded his fist into the air, starling Asami. "Go Bolin! Go Bolin!"

The heiress gently lowered his fist, "Yeah, let's try it Fluttershy's way."

"Oh, it's okay." said the yellow pegasus, "Quiet doesn't come naturally for everypony. Let's try it again."

The rest cheered once more, attempting to do so much more quietly as Fluttershy instructed, but it still came out sounding rather loud. "You can do it, Breezies!"

"Perhaps just a little bit quieter."

"You can do it, Breezies!" they cheered with lower tones. This second attempt was a tad more successful than the first.

"Just a little quieter."

"You can do it, Breezies!" they cheered once more, lowering their voices even more. This time, the cheer came out practically a whisper, which was exactly what Fluttershy was looking for. She flew up, shouting happily and loudly.

"Perfect! Oh, um, I mean... yay."

(~)

All of Ponyville had gathered around to witness the breezies fly by. This would be the first time they would see these adorable little critters. They had heard how adorable and tiny they were. The whole town was bustling with anticipation, but they also knew they had to remain as quiet as they could. While the others ponies prepared themselves for the arrival of the breezies Korra was practicing the breeze she would create for the creatures to fly on. Rainbow placed her hoof in her mouth and inspected how strong the wind current was.

"That's too strong! We gotta slow this breeze down or we're gonna blow those Breezies apart!"

"Okay! Okay!" Korra moved her arms gently with Rainbow assisting her with her wings. She may not be an airbender herself but she was a weather pony, so she knew what she was talking about when it came to powerful winds.

"How's that?" Korra asked, hoping she got it right.

"That's much better."

Mako, Fluttershy and Asami watched from down bellow. The heiress was munching on some of the cupcakes Mr. and Mrs. Cake had prepared for the occasion while Mako watched Korra practice making the breeze. "What I don't understand is why they need somebody to make a breeze for them." he said.

Fluttershy began explaining the process to him, "Well, you see, it's the breeze that activates the Breezies' magic, and that magic protects the pollen they're carrying from being destroyed."

"So, no breeze means no magic means the pollen goes bad?"

"That's right!"

Bolin walked on by, his nose deep in the paper Korra gave him. "Yep. It's all right here in the pamphlet. It also says that they only have two days to get that pollen back before the portal to their home closes."

"That's why it's ever-so-important that we help them make their way through Ponyville safely." said Fluttershy.

Asami swallowed the last bit of cake before speaking, "We certainly wouldn't want to scare them and divert them from their path."

"Now you understand."

"You really know a lot about them from your trip, hu?" said Mako.

"Oh, yes. I'm so excited for you to see them yourselves!" Fluttershy's aquamarine eyes sparkled with glee upon seeing the magical creatures once more. Suddenly, she had to squint her eyes and shield her vision with her hoof once a sudden blinding white light. Mako and Asami also shielded themselves from the intense light, while Bolin literally screamed upon nearly being blinded.

"The light! It burns!" he cried out, covering his eyes tightly with his hands.

As it turns out, Rarity had decided to dress for the occasion. Her accessory of choice was a dazzling cape made out entirely out of magenta sequins that shined intensely in the light. The cape was indeed dazzling…so dazzling the ponies needed sunglasses just so they could see it. Fluttershy approached her fashion-loving friend, while wearing a pair of sunglasses so she could see more clearly, and addressed the situation.

"Um, Rarity? I, uh, hate to weigh in with you when it comes to fashion, but…"

"Oh, there's too much purple on this, isn't there? I _knew_ it! But Twilight refused to admit it."

The alicorn princess, who was organizing her flash cards beside the podium, turned her head and scoffed, "What?! I-"

"Oh, no-no-no-no-no. It's the perfect amount of purple. It's just that there's an _awful_ lot of sequins on your jacket."

Rarity chuckled in amusement, "Oh, darling, please! One can never have too many sequins!"

"You can if they reflect the sun, and the light catches a group of Breezies right in their eyes, and blinds them long enough to get them off their course so they never get home!"

Fluttershy's nervous rant was enough to convince Rarity. "I stand corrected! I suppose there is the rare instance where one can have too many sequins. I'll just take off my jacket."

But once she did, it revealed that she was also wearing a pearly white dress, which was so white it was literally a blinding beam of light. Bolin felt he was going blind.

"The light! It still burns!"

Rarity blushed in embarrassment, "I suppose this won't do either?"

Rainbow Dash shielded her eyes with her hooves as she spotted something on the horizon. It looked like a heard of flying little creatures with wings. She knew it must be the breezies. She whispered to Twilight and the alicorn gained everyone's attention. She spoke in a whisper.

"Everypony, it's time. Please welcome... the Breezies!"

Every so gently, Korra moved her arms to help Rainbow Dash create the breeze. The moment she saw the creatures, she couldn't begin to describe the feeling she felt. They were so small and fragile. Her heart swelled up and it encouraged her to be ever so gentle with the breeze she was creating. Fluttershy was right, they were even more adorable in person.

All the ponies, even the two brothers and Asami marveled at the creature's majesty, adorableness and elegance. They all had long fairy-like wings that moved along with the gentle breeze. Their anatomy was the same as ponies, only with longer and thinner legs. They each had antennas on their heads and big extravagant mane and tails.

Asami was gushing over them, placing her hands on her cheeks, "Awwwww."

Even Mako found them adorable, "They're adorable."

"They're as cute as Apple Bloom on the day she was born." said Applejack in a whisper.

"And would you look at those adorable little packs they carry their pollen in?" said Rarity, gushing over the creatures like everybody else.

One of the breezies, a blue one wearing a black jump suite with white fur lining, curly pink mane and tail, led the group. Unlike the rest, he was stern and serious looking. He directed the swarm, speaking in his native language.

"_Lun! Arshen aifo!"_

Pinkie Pie could barely contain herself, "So… cute! Can't... take... it!" she covered her mouth in hopes she wouldn't loose her cool and frighten the creatures.

Spike tried to get a better view of the breezies but the other ponies constantly got in his way. He walked up to the pink pony, who was still trying to keep herself from screaming.

"Pinkie Pie, can I hop on you so I can see the Breezies?"

"May explode!" she exclaimed in a hush tone before closing her mouth again.

Spike noticed a tree nearby and climbed up onto one of the branches. This way, he could see the creatures perfectly. They were so cute he could barely stay still. The branch started to move and one of the levees flew off. Seeing this, Spike started to panic.

"Oh, no!"

The breezies' leader saw the lief coming towards them and it managed to cause a large portion of the group to fly off coarse. The crowd gasped in horror as the poor breezies screamed in terror.

Rainbow called out to Korra, "Slow down the breeze for the other group to catch up!"

"They're too far back! We can't connect the breeze to both sets of Breezies!"

"What if we speed it up?"

"Then the first group'll be going too fast, and they'll get separated from each other!"

The breezie leader called out to the others, "_Tanagretu nik mir! Maisegu de piripa!" _he ordered, but it was no use for the breezies couldn't get themselves back to where they were.

Both Korra and Fluttershy gasped! Instinctively, they both reacted. Fluttershy flew up and managed to catch one of the breezies that flew away. Korra airbended herself up and caught a large portion of the creatures in her arms. They all thanked her in their own language.

The breezie leader spoke again, "_Mekenar stuff!"_

"He's right!" said Fluttershy, "You must all gather as close as you possibly can!"

The breezies managed to grab onto Fluttershy and Korra and the two managed to land the creatures safely down. The crowd cheered for their heroic efforts. The girls had the breezies land safely onto a rock. None of them were hurt. The leader spoke to Fluttershy, "_Mugudi saikendus?"_

"Oh, I understand the language of all kinds of creatures!"

But the little creature only rolled his large pink colored eyes. "You must be so proud." it said, speaking in a scottish accent.

Korra shook her head in disbelief, "Wait, you can speak _our_ language too?"

"_I_ can. This lot can only understand you. Clearly, they're not the brightest bunch around." The breezes all shouted in indignation at the leader. He was always so mean spirited towards them.

"That was _amazing_!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly. She and all the others gathered around the two and the breezies.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get a breeze going that would get them back to the others." Rainbow apologized.

"Me too." said the Avatar.

Fluttershy only smiled, "Oh, it's not your fault."

Twilight Sparkle then hugged the shy pegasus, "I, for one, am very proud of you, Fluttershy. Leaping into action like that."

Korra was next to hug Fluttershy, "That's my girl!" she placed a kiss on Flutter's forehead, making her blush.

"I feel like I should design you a special hero's gown!" said Rarity, "Heh… Or a sash. At least a sash."

Bolin squatted down to the breezies' level. His eyes sparkled with glee. "Awww, you're so cute." he then started cooing the leader of the group, also known as Seabreeze. "Oh, and don't you have the cutest little jump suite I've ever-OW! Hey!" he backed away once the little one bit on his finger. "Feisty little guy, aint he?"

The group heard Spike running up to them before kneeling down before Twilight, hugging her legs, crying. "Okay, okay, okay! I know what you're all thinking! Why don't you just say it?! I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I'm so, so sorry!"

Fluttershy caressed his head with her hoof, "Oh, Spike, it's okay! It could have happened to any one of us."

Spike wiped away his tears and smiled, happy to be off the hook, "Okay… Thank you!" he hugged Fluttershy by surprise, causing her to stumble back a bit, which in response startled the breezies, who shouted at him in anger. Spike backed away several feet, "Uh… I'm... just... gonna stay over here."

"So, Fluttershy, you want us to get the breeze going again so these little guys can get a move on?" Korra asked. She was then startled when half of the breezies flew up and placed themselves on her head and shoulders. They did the same with Fluttershy. They were all so grateful to their heroines, and Fluttershy was more than happy to help them.

"Maybe we should wait just a moment or so. They've been through so much…" said Fluttershy while one of the breezies kissed her cheek.

Korra figured maybe letting the creatures stay for a little while wouldn't be so bad either. They sure seemed to like her too.

"Just give the word when you think they're ready." said Rainbow Dash.

But while the other breezies were more than happy to stay with Korra and Fluttershy, Seabreeze was not. This was not what needed to be done. This spelled very bad news for them all.

(~)

It didn't take long for the breezies themselves to get comfortable in Fluttershy's cottage. They made themselves right at home in her bird houses and even in Angel's bed. Much to his dismay.

Korra was there as well, the breezies didn't want her to leave, not like they gave her much of a choice with their constant begging. The Avatar sat on the floor, mesmerizing the creatures with tales of her adventures.

"So then, Amon had me right where he wanted me. I couldn't control my body, I was completely powerless to stop him. He was just about to take my bending when all of a sudden, Twilight Sparkle zapped him with her own magic! The guy was thrown across the room!"

The breezies all went, "Ooooooooooooh!"

Before she would continue she noticed that one of the breezies was shivering. "Oh, little cold there, Twirly?" she took a tissue paper from a nearby table and handed it to Twirly, who wrapped the paper around him like a blanket.

"_Sanken" _he said as he wrapped himself up.

"No problem."

Fluttershy walked in with a plate of cookies balanced on her head and placed them on the floor for them to eat. "Is everything alright in here?" she asked. One of the breezies came up with a small cup for water.

"_Malenki?"_

"Oh, did you need some more water?" Fluttershy took a some water from a cup, using a baster to give the little creature a single drop of water to drink.

"Now, who else needed a hoof-knitted sweater?" Fluttershy gave one of the breezies an adorable sweater to wear.

They all looked so incredibly happy to be around Fluttershy. However, Korra noticed that one of them wasn't. Seabreeze sat in a corner, all alone, moping. Korra gently scooted over to see if he was alright.

"Hey, you okay little guy?"

Seabreeze looked up at Korra with a glare. "No! Can't you see I'm far from okay?!"

Korra was taken back by his remark. She rose up her hands in surrender, "Just asking."

A knock of the door got their attention and Applejack and Twilight appeared by the door. The country pony greeted them, "Hey there! Can we come in?"

"Oh, of course!" said Fluttershy, "But watch your step!"

Applejack looked down and noticed a breezie shaking in fear at the sight of her. "Oop, sorry about that, little one."

"We just wanted to see if you thought the Breezies were ready to give it another try." said Twilight.

Fluttershy was surprised by the time, "Has it been an hour already? Oh, my goodness! Time flies when you're making sure little creatures don't feel that you're abandoning them to the cruel world."

Korra arched an eyebrow, "But they're not going to a cruel world, right? They're going home."

"Oh, yes, that's right!"

But the breezies all started to protest. They flew up and clung onto the pegasus pony and the Avatar. Fluttershy immediately felt sympathy for the poor creatures, while Korra found it a tad strange how badly they didn't want to get back home.

"On second thought, I don't think they're quite ready." said Fluttershy.

Korra gently took a couple of breezies off of her hair ties. "You sure about that? I mean, isn't the portal suppose to close at any minute? What if they can't get back in time?"

"Oh, I'm sure we still have plenty of time to get them back." the pony reassured her. The two then flinched when Seabreeze began yelling angrily in his breezie language.

"_Supa laipas data kurpa! Mise neku ersken laika maur! Siripat sulat!"_

Fluttershy's jaw was dropped in shock, while Twilight, Applejack and Korra only arched their eyebrows.

"Uh... what did he say?" Aj asked.

Fluttershy blushed, "I'd… rather not say."

"Okay, well, I'm sure you know what you're doin'." said Applejack as Twilight opened the door and they walked out, "No one knows rare magical creatures like you do."

"We'll just wait for your word." said Twilight as she and the country pony walked away.

"Thank you. I'll be in touch very soon." Fluttershy closed the door and smiled at the loving glances of the breezes beneath her hooves. But only one breezie was not falling for any of this 'sweet life' business.

"The Avatar is right! We need to go now, or we will never get home!" said Seabreeze, "I wish we did not need that stupid breeze to activate our magic, or I would just force you all to fly home right now!"

"Hey! I helped make that breeze!" Korra stated, rather annoyed.

"Why do we have to need magic to keep our pollen safe?"

Fluttershy approached the leader and tried to reason with him, "Um, now, Seabreeze-"

"Why are you giving in to these wimps?! If they had not been so scared in the first place, this never would have happened!"

"But that is just not true, Seabreeze." Fluttershy said firmly but calmly, "It was because of a leaf, and you know that!"

If Korra didn't know any better she would believe Seabreeze was really a much large being trapped inside the body of a tiny breezie. He gained up on Fluttershy, still yelling. "Oh, please! They have no idea what they're doing out there! Like you said, we need as much time as we can get because they are so incompetent!"

"Well, I didn't say that exactly now, did I?"

Korra intervened, "You know, maybe they wouldn't be having this much trouble if you'd stop being such an angry jerk all the time."

"Excuse me?!"

"All you've done was yell and curse, not cool by the way, and this isn't the right motivation."

"Well, excuse me miss, "I'm the Avatar so I know better than everybody!", maybe you'd like to be in charge of these lazy bums!"

"I never said I was better than anyone!" Korra said in defense, "You're lucky I have a conscious or else I'd crush you right now!"

"You would never do that! I know an empty threat when I see one. You are just as a goody-two-shoes as your friend here!"

Korra knew she would never harm the creature, but she so wanted to punch something right now. His attitude was infuriating to say the least, not to mention his cruelty towards the other breezies was unfair.

Fluttershy knew she had to step in and stop this, "Oh, well, maybe a snack will lighten the mood." the other breezies cheered in agreement while Korra and Seabreeze turned away from one another, crossing their arms bitterly.

(~)

The breezies were enjoying their snakes, they all shared a large cookie, grapes and jumpy fruits, they were all so delicious. After a while, they all felt so full they couldn't eat another bite. A group of breezies rested on Fluttershy, all snuggled up and taking naps. One little breezie burped.

"_Mi fargen."_

"You're excused." said Fluttershy.

At the corner of the room, Korra sat cross-legged while Seabreeze sat opposite her, both facing away from the other. After taking a moment to think, Korra realized that she had blown her top and needed to apologize.

"Seabreeze, I want to say I'm sorry for blowing up like that." however, the male breezie didn't even turn his head to face her. This made her pout, "You know, you're not making this apology any easier."

"Apologies aren't suppose to be easy."

"What?"

"If they were don't you think everybody would do them!"

Korra was a bit perplexed by this. "I never thought of it that way." she confessed.

"That's a mistake so many folks make. Something being easy doesn't make it worth it! They have no idea what they are really doing!"

"What are you talking about? They're just taking a break. Besides, look…" she gestured to the other breezies, who were indeed happy and enjoying herself. "They seem happy. What's the real harm if they're just enjoying themselves?"

Seabreeze face palmed himself, "Just because they are happy doesn't mean what they're doing is right! How would you feel if you never got to see your home and family again? Sometimes the worst kind of danger is the kind that makes you believe there isn't any at all!"

Korra had never heard words like this before. They were complex that she had a hard time understanding. Yet, once she took a good look at the breezies, resting, lazily remaining in one place while there was a home waiting for them and they didn't even seem to care because they were living the good life. Some didn't even bother to fly up because they were so comfortable in their soft pillows. As Seabreeze's words played in her mind she remembered how helpless they were against that one lief and that if they didn't move now who knows when their home would open up again. Then it hit her, this world was not safe for them. A simple leaf was enough to stir them off course, and now they were seemingly happy, but at what cost? They would lose their home forever of they stayed! Fluttershy meant well, she wanted them to be happy, but by giving them what they wanted she was unknowingly harming them.

That was that, Korra couldn't just stand by and be a bypass supporter in all of this. She needed to speak up, even if Fluttershy and the breezies would deny it.

"Okay, now that you've all eaten and rested, I think you're strong enough to face the breeze!"

Fluttershy gently removed the creatures from her with her tail and placed them down on the floor. "You sure Korra?"

"I've never been more sure."

The pony knew this was inevitable. She smiled at the creatures, "I've loved having you here, and I hope I've made you all feel loved and special. But you have to go. Nopony here will deny that-"

"There is nothing special about these losers!" Seabreeze stated, once again, while yelling, "They cannot handle a simple breeze home! If they could just stick with the program and listen to me, we would be safe! At home!" suddenly, the leader breezie's eyes became puffy and tears started to run down them, "Home, where every Breezie is like us!"

Seabreeze hung his head in sadness as he hovered over to the peephole of the door, sighing as he gazed outside. Korra now knew why he was acting like this. He was scared of never getting back home, and he was frightened for what would happen. No wonder he was so angry, he must really have a lot to return to. Korra could relate.

But Fluttershy was a tad oblivious to his point, "Okay, well, a confusing pep-talk, but nonetheless. I do know that if you don't leave soon, you may never make it back, and that would be terrible!"

Korra placed her hands on her knees and addressed to the critters, "Okay, little cuties, up and up, time to head back where you belong." she gestured to the door, expecting them to fly up, but there was no reaction. "Okay, now." Korra kept her smile and hand towards the door, but still no reaction from the tiny crowd. "Kinda loosing daylight here. Come on. Let's go. Right now. Seriously. Not getting any younger here."

One of the breezies then sneezed, "_Merte marshken farde." _he elbowed another breezie, telling him to play along. He then started to do a fake cough.

"_Merki marshken plumatu."_

"I had no idea you all have colds!" said Fluttershy.

But Korra was not buying this. "Really? All of you?" she asked sarcastically. To try and convince her, the breezies all started to cough.

Fluttershy grew concerned, "Oh, dear. I can't let you go out there sick! What kind of a friend would I be if I made you go now?"

But Korra was not going to let this happen. "Fluttershy, they're faking it! They're not sick at all they just want to stay and be waited on hand and foot!"

Flutteshy gasped in horror, "Korra, how could you say such a thing?!"

"Fluttershy, I know you care about them, but right now is not the time for you to be pampering them. What they need is a wake up call, and now!"

"Listen to her!" said Seabreeze, "She may be a hot-head but at least she's got common sense in that thick skull of hers."

Korra narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance, "I don't know if to feel flattered or insulted."

But Fluttershy, for once, was being incredibly stubborn, "Well, if you both are going to behave like this then maybe it's best if one of you leaves."

Korra gasped, "You're kicking me out?"

"No, I'm giving you the option. You can leave or help me care for these poor sick breezies."

Korra gazed into the wanting eyes of the breezies, but also the troubled eyes of Seabreeze. Even though he was annoying, she understood where he was coming from. She thought by helping Fluttershy she was helping the breezies, but she wasn't doing much for them now. Fluttershy could sense the turmoil within her friend and began to regret her choice of words.

"Korra, I-"

"No, it's okay." Korra rose her hand to silence the pony, "I'll just go. Let me know when they're ready to leave."

Fluttershy watched with a heavy heart as her Avatar friend left the cottage. Was she right? Was she doing more harm to the breezies than good and she just refused to see it?

(~)

Korra walked back to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and Bolin were playing tick-tack-tow on the ground. The pegasus cheered in victory.

"Ha! I win again!"

Bolin groaned, "Aw man! That's thirty-five in a row! Come on, best of seventy-one!"

The two then spotted a depressed Korra approaching. Rainbow was the first to greet her. "Hey, Korra! The Breezies ready to go yet? Clock's kinda ticking for them to make it back before the door closes on their home." she noticed Korra's expression, "Everything okay?"

"No. They're still at her house but they don't want to leave. They keep making up excuses to stay."

"Well that doesn't make sense." said Bolin, "I thought they'd be dying to get back home."

"Apparently, they don't have sweet loving pegasus ponies to spoil them back home." Korra said in disappointment. "If we wait too much longer, we'll have to create such a strong breeze, it may be more than they can handle."

"We just have to trust Fluttershy." said Rainbow Dash, "She must know what she's doing." however, even she was unsure about this fact.

(~)

The Breezies were having the time of their lives, dancing and doing whatever they wanted. Fluttershy even made them slides for them to play on, she was enjoying their company just as much as they enjoyed hers.

The party came to a halt once Seabreeze aggressively too away the saxophone of the breezies was playing and smashed it to the ground, much to the others' disappointment.

"Why are you spending your time on this?! I will never get home!"

His distress was enough to make Fluttershy come to her senses. "Breezies, I must say, Seabreeze has a point. I think it's time for me to get Rainbow Dash and Korra so they can create the breeze for you to get home."

But the Breezies all shouted in dismay, pulling on her tail, begging her to reconsider. "Ooh… You're all awfully anxious... Oh, I don't want you to feel abandoned, or that I wasn't the most kind host I could possibly be…"

"_Adoshen papan gorn." _said one of the breezies.

"Oh, yes, that does make sense... Seabreeze, do you think you could wait just a couple more hou-" but when she turned her head, the leader of the breezies was no longer there. Nobody else had seen him. "Seabreeze? Seabreeze? Has anypony seen Seabreeze?"

The others shrugged and shook their heads. Fluttershy continued to search the cottage for the little one, only to uncover that the peephole was open! She galloped towards it and spotted the little breezie flying off into the distance.

"Where's he going? There's no way he can handle being out there on his own!"

It was then she remembered Korra's words from before, _"I know you care about them, but right now is not the time for you to be pampering them. What they need is a wake up call, and now!"_

"Oh dear. What have I done?!"

(~)

Seabreeze was determined to get home, even if he had to do it by himself. Home was his goal and nothing was going to stop him. But because he was so small, the powerful winds of Equestria were much too powerful for him. It was like trying to swim in the middle of a gigantic storm. The winds collided against his body like angry tidal waves.

"_Ah! Ah! Ah! Blusken! Ah! Ah! Arge nusen!" _

He flew pass a couple of ponies, who did not notice him fly by. The poor little magical creature struggled to keep course. An acorn got loose and fell from a trine, nearly crushing him. More acorns fell and Searbeeze dogged each one as best he could, but each one was a close call.

_"Uf! Osemi! Ah! Narsken! Noi serenda! Ah!"_

The impact one one final acorn caused him to fly off and head first into a beehive. Using his antennas for light, he gasped at the angry bees starring at him. He screamed once he managed to pop himself out of the hive but there was nowhere else for him to run. He held onto the branch, ready to face the fate once the bees aimed their stingers at him.

"Excuse me, bees?"

Seabreeze and the bees looked up to see Fluttershy, who had managed to catch up to the breezie just in time.

"Can you please back off my Breezie friend? He didn't mean any harm. It was just an accident."

But the bees did not comply and went back to aiming their stingers at Seabreeze.

"I'm working on a bee-type dance and was hoping you could help me?" Fluttershy was now wearing a bee costume to try and persuade them, "Does this bring to mind any images for you? Perhaps a bee?"

But that didn't work either and the bees once again aimed their stingers. This was the last straw.

"Excuse me!" Fluttershy's now more aggressive tone was enough to fully grab the bee's attention, "I have done nothing but be kind, but I guess that is _not_ working! You bees know better than to hurt a helpless Breezie! I demand that you go away _now_, or you'll have to answer to _me_!"

The bees finally complied and left Seabreeze alone before entering back into their hive, away from the angry pony. Searbeeze managed to take in a sigh of relief and turned towards the pony, bowing his head in thanks.

"_Menkyulen._ Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you for coming after me!"

"Of course. You could've gotten seriously hurt out there. Ponyville is much too dangerous for you. One tiny acorn is a threat!"

"Yeah, I know! That is one reason why I have been trying to get us to go from the beginning!"

"Oh, my goodness. I was just trying not to hurt any creature's feelings, but my displays of kindness may have cost you everything."

"That is what your friend was trying to tell you, too!" Seabreeze pointed out. "She understood what we needed to do!"

"I know, and I didn't listen because I didn't want to believe I was harming anypony. I just felt so good helping you Breezies I didn't realize I was putting you in real danger. Time is running out, and you may never make it home!"

"That is exactly what I have been telling all of them! But they do not listen to me! Nobreezie ever listens to me!" the poor breezie turned away, bowing his head in depression. Korra helped Fluttershy before, now it was her turn to help Seabreeze.

"Seabreeze, I understand your feelings are hurt, but it's hard for them to hear you when you're shouting and being mean. The message doesn't get across."

"But what about those bees? You were not nice to them, and that was the only way they listened!"

"Yes, but they _had_ to go, and they wouldn't listen to me any other way."

That was when the revelation struck her. Both Korra and Seabreeze tried to get her to see the truth by being assertive. While maybe a tad too assertive, their intensions were for the better. Being firm in the Truth was the best example of kindness one could offer, and Fluttershy thought it was all about giving somepony what they wanted out of love. But wanting something doesn't justify it was right and the best example of love is doing what is best, even if it's hard. As she gazed into Seabreeze's wings, her eyes glowed with rainbow colors. She knew now she needed to do the right thing, even if the other breezies would not be happy about it. This was her chance to be _truly_ kind.

"We need to go, now!"

Seabreeze hoped onto Fluttershy's head and she flew as fast as she could, the wind practically blowing off Seabreeze's face. Realizing this, Fluttershy slowed down.

(~)

Back at her cottage, Fluttershy stood before the breezies, this time doing what she should have done before.

"My dear Breezies, I had to rescue Seabreeze from serious harm, and now I know more than ever that you _must_ leave before it's too late! You would never survive in Ponyville."

Besides her, Seabreeze shook his head at them, warning not to play any more tricks. But the breezies all started to beg for her to let them stay, but Fluttershy was not going to fall victim to their cries anymore.

"I can't help you any more. In fact, I wasn't helping you at all by being nice. Oh... But the truth of the matter is that I must be firm!" She opened the door, using her hoof to point to the outside world. It was time and she needed to be the one to say it.

"You must go, _now!"_

This was the end of the line. The other Breezies couldn't do anymore to get her to let them stay. And so, with a heavy heart, they all flew up and out the door. Seabreeze bowed to her in respect for her bravery before joining the others.

But once they were all out, the little pony started to cry. The truth needed to be said. Even if it was hard.

(~)

After hearing about the news, Korra and Rainbow Dash worked together to create the perfect breeze for the creatures. Korra used her airbending while Rainbow used her wings.

"It's too strong!" said the pony once the breeze caused more leaves from a tree to fall.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it any lighter!"

"Stand back for a second!" said Rainbow, "I'm gonna try and see if I can slow it down."

Korra complied as the pony tried to soften the breeze, but it was far too much. "Now it's too light! Oh, this will never get them home!"

Korra joined back with Fluttershy, the rest of their friends, along with Ikki, Jinora and Meelo, and the breezies. "This is bad." said the worried Avatar. "There's too few of them. When they started their journey, there was more of them to face the breeze together."

"How are we going to get them back now?" Bolin asked with worry.

Twilight looked down on the breezies and got an idea, "I've been studying an old spell book from the Castle of the Two Sisters. There's a spell that I think could help us!"

"Let's do it!" said Korra.

Mako's eyes widened, "Wait, what?!"

"The breezies need all the help they can get."

Bolin rose his hand to ask a question, "Is it going to hurt?"

"It may probably feel a little funny at first," said Twilight, "but you're gonna have to trust me."

"I _love_ new ideas that make me feel funny at first!" said Pinkie Pie.

Mako rose his hand next, "Wait, don't I get a vote?"

"And me?" Asami rose her hand as well. But neither her nor Mako had a say in it once Korra wrapped her arms around their shoulders.

"Do it, Twilight!"

The ex-couple simultaneously gulped in fear once Twilight's horn began to glow.

"If anything happens," Asami began, "I'm never speaking to you guys again."

Suddenly, their bodies were now surrounded by the glowing magenta aura of Twilight's horn and beams of magic hit both ponies and humans. Another beam hit the breezies and the spell started to take effect.

The ponies felt their bodies change, decreasing in side and their legs grew longer and slender. Their manes grew long as well while antennas appeared on their heads and long, beautiful transparent wings grew from their backs.

Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami felt the same change, their bodies shrunk and their ears became pointy, Asami and Korra's hair grew longer and they no longer had five fingers but three, antennas grew on their head and they all had wings.

Once the spell was cast, the Mane Six had been transformed into breezies, while Team Avatar were now human version of breezies. Asami and Korra marveled at their wings while Mako tried his best to wake himself up from this dream. Bolin opened his mouth to speak.

"Wow! This is incredible!" he said, realizing how different he sounded in his new high-pitch voice. "Hey, my voice sounds funny! A wood-chuck-would-a-wood-chuck-chuck! I like being tiny!"

Mako only groaned, he had gained this squeaky voice once before when he turned into Mosquito man in the comic book world. "Great, here we go again!"

Korra giggled, "Aww, but you look so cute, Mako."

The firebender tried to hide his blush while he crossed his arms and pouted.

Fluttershy addressed to her friends, speaking in Breeezie, "_Maifo flai batendud!"_ but nobody understood her, "Um, I mean, let's go!"

Meeli, Ikki and Jinora worked together to create the perfect breeze for the creatures to fly on, and with the extra help they managed to do so perfectly. Not only that, but this way they would get home sooner than they expected. Both Fluttershy and Seabreeze led the swarm all across the land, passing cold lands and dark forests and sunny deserts. However, some of the breezies started to feel exhausted. One nearly flew off course until his friend helped him.

Seeing this, Seabreeze rushed to help them. Both breezies were just about ready to give up, but Seabreeze refused this.

"You can do this!" he said, this time with compassion instead of anger, "I am sorry for how I treated you before! It was not right that I called you names! I did not even really believe those things I said! I was worried we would never get back to our home, and I lashed out…" he looked back at Fluttershy, who smiled encouragingly, "I know you can do this! I believe in you!"

Now, having realized how wrong he truly was, Seabreeze helped his two friends back onto the breeze, "Hold on to me, let us join the group!"

Once he managed to get them back on course, Korra smiled proudly at Fluttershy. Their good friends has learned a valuable lesson as well.

(~)

The wind blew and the team finally reached their destination. On a cliffside, beside a waterfall, rested a large hole that almost looked abandoned.

"We've made it!" Fluttershy stated, "The Breezies' home!"

Mako placed his hand over his now large eyes, squinting to try and see something. "It doesn't look like there's anything in there." he said.

"Looks can be deceiving, Mako." said Korra as the others swooped down and entered the hole.

At first, the pathway was dark and barren, but once they reached the other side, they could not believe their own eyes.

It truly was a whole other world in the cave! There was light and color, small houses made out of trees and flowers with colorful breezies all around.

"Holy mini-sized paradise!" Rainbow exclaimed in wonder.

Asami was breathless, "I've never seen anything so beautiful!"

Even Mako was amazed by this land, "No kidding!"

"This is simply beautiful!" Rarity swooned, "So much inspiration. Where's my sketchpad when I need it?"

Pinkie Pie couldn't contain herself, "So…stinkin'…cute!"

The rest of the Breezies all cheered with joy at the return of their friends and family. Brothers with brothers, sisters with sisters, children with parents, even Seabreeze was reunited with his family. His lovely wife and most beautiful baby boy. The sight of it filled Korra's heart with such joy. No wonder he wanted to get home so badly.

"He had a family all along." Mako said, starling Korra a bit.

"Yeah." she agreed…before placing her head against his chest. The firebender wrapped his arm around her, this was her way of saying that even though he didn't have a family, in a way, she was a part of his family now. And he was a part of hers.

Asami then felt somebody hug her from behind. It was Bolin. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment." he said with a smile. But, in secret, Asami enjoyed the gesture. Next, she felt Korra place a hand on her shoulder, the second still holding Mako's. As she gazed up at all of the Breezie families, she began to understand how they felt. But just barely.

Fluttershy started to tear up. "You okay, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.

"I'm just so very happy they got to be reunited with their family!"

Rarity noticed that the opening was slowly closing. "We'd better get going before the entrance- well, exit for us, closes."

The others hurried to the portal, but Fluttershy wanted to say one last goodbye to her breezie friends. "Goodbye, Breezies. I must go now."

She briefly stopped when Seabreeze placed a flower over her hair, "To remember us by."

Fluttershy wiped away her tears and hugged him goodbye, "Thank you! I'll miss you. I'll miss all of you!"

Korra quickly flew up towards here, "Fluttershy, it's time to go. Goodbye, Breezies!"

"Thank you, Avatar Korra." Seabreeze said with a bow, and Korra returned the gesture before she and her pony friend flew out of the portal, saying one last final goodbye before leaving the portal.

At last, they were all out right when the portal closed. Who knew when it would open again.

Bolin wiped away sweat from his forehead, "Whoa! That was a close one!"

"Okay everyone, gather round." Twilight instructed once her horn started to glow once more. The magic spell was now broken and all the ponies and humans returned to their normal forms. Bolin opened his mouth, hoping to hear his squeaky voice again.

"A wood-chuck-would-a-wood-chuk-" but he had his normal voice again, "No, not the same."

"I have to admit," Mako began, "That was a pretty wild ride."

Korra, once being turned back, inspected her back. She somehow felt weird without wings on her anymore, almost like a part of her was missing. Being able to fly felt so right, she wondered if she would ever have that feeling ever again.

"Korra…" Fluttershy spoke up, "I want to say I'm sorry. You were only trying to help me see the error of my ways but I didn't want to believe you."

Korra squatted down and petted her head, "It's okay. We both learned something important today. And so did Seabreeze."

"Oh yes. Kindness can take many forms, and sometimes being too kind can actually keep a friend from doing what they need to do. Pushing them away may seem cruel, but it's sometimes the kindest thing you can do."

"That's a great entry for the journal." said the Avatar with a wink.

Bolin then began asking Twilight a question, "So, uh, I've always kinda wondered what it would be like to be a griffon." he smiled at her widely in hopes she would turn him into one.

"Me too!" Rainbow mentioned, also smiling.

But the alicorn rolled her eyes. "Not a chance."

The two looked disappointed. "You sure?" Rainbow asked. "What about a dragon? No?"

"It doesn't have to shoot fire!" Bolin added as the aliconr kept walking away with the others close behind.

Korra gave Fluttershy one final hug while the flower in her mane shimmered with rainbow colors as the sung started to set over the horizon.

_(~)_

_"So, both Fluttershy and Korra learned an important lesson that day. _

_That while there are many things that do feel good that doesn't mean they are all good __**for **__you. When I was still the master of chaos, I was happy, but at what cost? I realized that my form of happiness wasn't the right one._

_Like Seabreeze said, sometimes the worse kind of danger is the kind that makes you think there isn't any at all. And it takes a real true friend to show you the way, and that kindness is not always easy to do, but it is what needs to be done._

_Hope to see you next time in another _

Tales of Equestria!"


	13. Inspiration Manifestation

_"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….WHOA!_

_Oh, uh, hey everybody! I didn't see you there. Wait, are you here for another story? Really? Well that was a short wait._

_Anywho, have I got a story for…wait, what? You wanted to ask why Bolin and Asami fell in love? Well haven't you read the rest of the story?! These tales are all things that happened before everybody tied the knot!_

_Oooooh, you want to know if they had any feelings before hand. Well, in their case, it was complicated. You see, they weren't always "in love", but they did always love each other. It only took some time for it to grow is all. In their case, they needed to do A LOT of growing up before they could be in a relationship._

_Every couple develops differently after all. You know, there is one story that I believe will serve a much better explanation as to why they work._

_Interesting fact, it was on the same day that our dear old friend Spike had his own problems to deal with._

_I may not be much of a romantic love expert but, when it comes to love, the truth is always the most important element. Real love isn't all about the warm and fuzzies, it also requires honesty. _

_That includes friendships as well._

_*(~)*_

_**Galatians 5:16-18~**_

_"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."_

***(~)***

**Inspiration Manifestation **

Out of all the times Asami wished she was a firebender. The paperwork she had was pilling up like crazy. What was she thinking on handling all of this on her own? She had already gone through at least five to six cups of coffee just to keep her energy up. Not that it helped. A knock on the door of her office was heard, followed by a familiar happy-go-lucky voice.

"Telegram for Miss Sato!"

Amazingly, his voice was enough to make her smile. "Come in, Bo."

The door opened and the earthbender walked in, wearing a brooding smile on his face holding some colorful balloons, some where shaped like hearts.

"What's with the balloons?" she asked once he placed them on her desk. They were tied to a pretty pebble, painted pink.

"Thought maybe you'd like to come with me to the Ponyville Foal and Filly Fair today. The guys and I haven't seen you much lately and I thought you could use a break from all of…" his eyes darted to the papers scattered across the room, "Well, _this_."

"I don't know." Asami wiped the stray hair from her face, styling her long side bang back, "I'm pretty pilled up as it is. That's what I get for taking time off."

"Well, who's to say you can't take some now? You are the boss, after all."

"Well…"

"Please? Look, I told Rarity that me and Spike would help her out with a puppet theater she's making for the kids. We could use another creative mind. Whatd'ya say?"

Bitting her lips she pondered on the invitation. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to take one small break after all. Get her mind off of things.

"Alright. I'm in!"

(~)

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Pinkie Pie called out as she happily trotted down the streets with balloons tied around her waist. "The Ponyville Foal and Filly Fair is almost ready to begin!"

Yes, Ponyville was having another festival. This one was just for the little ones. A festival where they could play all sorts of game and fun activities.

As always, Pinkie Pie was as happy as could be. She loved festivals, and parties and fillies and pretty much everything that brought joy and laughter for all. Meanwhile, inside Carousel Boutique, Asami inspected her pony friend's craftsmanship, but arched an eyebrow. "Uh, Rarity are you sure this isn't a bit…well, extravagant for a bunch of little fillies and foals?"

Rarity was tasked with making a puppet stage for the young fillies. The stage, while stunning with gold trims, diamonds across the edges of the stage, and flower vases decorating the stage, along with pink silk curtains and a few feathered boas on the top. It certainly was something Rarity would make, but it didn't appear to be much of an actual puppet theater for a young audience.

"Just because the attendees are young, doesn't mean they don't deserve my very best creative work." said the unicorn, adding her finishing touches to her creation. "Why, this puppet theater is going to be the talk of the Foal and Filly Fair!"

As always, Spike was fawning all over the pony, blush evident on his cheeks. "How could it not be? You're the one making it…" he said dreamily.

"Oh! But I couldn't have done it without the help of my dearest and most supportive friends! I'm glad you could help, Asami. With Korra off at the South Pole visiting her parents for her mother's birthday, it's nice to have another girl around to help."

"Anytime, Rarity." the heiress replied, "Besides, I could use a distraction."

"Work at Future Industries pilling up again?"

"Yeah…that's one of the reasons." she said the last part under her breath to which Rarity did not hear. But Bolin did.

He knew perfectly well what was really bothering her. Bolin had to admit, he strongly admired the way Asami was still trying to make an effort in not letting her work or the 'Mako and Korra' situation effect her from being with her friends, but there have been days where she was more upset than normal. She would often hide this in front of the couple to lead them off, but Bolin could read her well. She was probably one of the very few people he could read. Maybe not perfectly, but most of the time he could.

Rarity levitated a boa and wrapped it around Spike's shoulders, petting his head. "And I especially should than you, Spike. You are my favorite dragon."

"Your _favorite_ dragon? Aw, gee…"

Asami rolled her eyes at this. Last thing she needed was more love sick glances, especially with the way the Avatar and her ex parted ways in such a loving way before Korra left on a boat to visit her parents. She didn't hate Korra or Mako, and they did make any attempts they could at being her friend. Still, the feelings of bitterness and jealousy were still evident. She just had a hard time letting them go. However, she was still determined to handle the situation on her own. No matter how much it seemed Korra and Mako wanted to talk to her about this, she was not going to budge. This was her problem, not theirs or anybody else's. Thankfully, being with some of her new friends was enough to make her feel even just a little bit better.

Little did she know, that the true purpose of her bitterness was not truly jealousy that Korra was with her ex boyfriend, but that she was subconsciously longing for a piece of her old life back. She missed her worry-free life even more than she wanted to admit. Of course, she denied any possibility of this, not wanting to see herself in a bad light, and kept on repeating it was leftover feelings for the firebender. Only in time, would she eventually realize the truth, but until then, there was only one person who could read her better than herself.

Bolin examined the theater, inspecting it with his keen eye. It certainly was fancy, he would give her that, but he had to agree with Asami, it was a tad much. Still, he couldn't hurt her feelings.

"What do you two think?" Rarity asked the two humans.

Bolin started to sweat nervously, "It's…great! Definitely you."

"Thank you, Boly. The hours have been long, the work taxing beyond compare, but it will all be worth it when we hear those three little words!"

(~)

"This is _awful_!"

"Awful?!" Rarity was not expecting to hear those words from the male unicorn puppeteer.

"And completely unusable." he said while inspecting the thing. He spun its golden wheels but they did not even touch the ground. The stage itself was stood on sticks with the wheels just as ornaments and nothing else. "Hmmm… Ugh! It doesn't travel!" he stuck his head onto the stage, which was crowded thanks to the vases of flowers that Rarity had placed, "Oh, there's no room for my puppets! It appears I won't have a traveling puppet theater to use after all."

"But-but I-"

The unicorn turned away, levitating his puppets with his magic. Even _they_ gave Rarity the stink eye. The poor waterbending unicorn felt devastated. She was hardly criticized by her work before, and even if she was she never heard that dreadful word…

_Awful!_

It was like poison sinking into her insides, shattering her heart as tears began to roll down her eyes. Bolin and Asami crunched down beside her, in an attempt to ease her pain.

"I don't know what that guy was talking about." Spike said, trying to encourage her, "This thing is perfect!"

Sadly, that was not enough for Rarity to feel better. She had already galloped away, tears streaming down from her eyes. The poor pony was truly crushed.

"Poor, Rarity." Bolin said with sympathy. "Rejection must really sting." his eyes widened once he remembered who was standing right beside him. He blushed in embarrassment before Asami walked away to find the depressed unicorn.

(~)

Back at her boutique, Rarity was sobbing in her infamous fainting couch of red silk fabric. "This is terrible, simply terrible!" she whined while Asami stroked her mane.

"So that puppeteer didn't like your exquisitely crafted best puppet theater in the history of puppet theaters puppet theater." said Spike, "You can just contribute something else to the Foal and Filly Fair."

"Yeah!" Bolin agreed, "I bet that creative, stylish whirlwind of yours you call a mind can come up with something even better that doesn't involve lame puppets." he shuttered at the thought of those things, "Those wooden abominations with their…soulless…empty…eyes."

Asami shuddered in agreement, "Tell me about it. Even as a little girl I hatted those things."

Rarity wiped away a few of her tears, "I suppose I could... Oh, forget it! I'd never have something finished in time! Asami, be dear and pass me that ice cream and spoon, will you?"

Asami complied and handed the frosty sugary treat to the pony, who levitated it with her magic can began nomming on a large spoonful of the stuff.

"I wanted to leave my creative mark on the fair, and I failed –" she took another spoonful and put it in her mouth, chewing and swallowing before speaking again, "miserably! And that makes me miserable!" she continued to cry and eat ice cream at the same time.

Bolin noticed this and immediately felt sympathy for her. Spike, knew he wanted to do something to help her. And he had a good idea where he could find it.

(~)

The castle was just as creepy looking as it always was, only slightly less since it was still daylight. Both the dragon and earthbender searched the entire library with Twilight's pet owl, Owlowiscious, beside them. Pabu accompanied them too, resting on a shelf with the owl.

"Argh, there's gotta be something in here somewhere." said Spike as he looked for the books.

As they searched, Bolin couldn't help but think about the heiress. While he often had trouble reading other people, somehow he could read Asami a tad better than most. He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason for her hidden bitterness towards Korra and Mako (aside from the obvious) but he also could tell that there was more behind it than what even she thought. The poor girl had lost her father to pride and hatred, was an only child and on top of that she had a family business to keep afloat. She just couldn't seem to really have a friendship with Korra and Mako because she kept behaving as if they had done her wrong, even though they had attempted many, many times to showcase they wanted to make amends. But the heiress was still relentless. She was emotionally complex, but for Bolin that just meant she needed to open up more and he had this desire to want to be there for her. He had been taken cared of his entire life, he wanted to be there for somebody for once. No wonder she and Mako didn't last for so long, they were both far too reserved for their own good.

"Hey, Spike." Bolin began, breaking the silence, "Did Asami seem a little…off, to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever she's with all of us together, she gets kind of, well, distant when it comes to Korra and Mako."

"I don't see it. She talks to them all the time and she doesn't show any hard feelings. Why do you ask?"

"It's just, I've always noticed that Asami was this independent and wicked smart person but, she's just really lonely."

"If she's so lonely why does she keep spending so much time at work? I know things got crazy between her, Mako and Korra but at least they're both trying to make it up to her. Remember when they both got her that designer bag for her birthday last month?"

"Yeah, she did look happy. But, also kind of hesitant. It's like, she's got this tug of war thing going on in her head or something."

"Since when can you read people?"

"I can't but with Asami it's…it's almost different. I say 'almost' because she's still a pretty hard rock to crack."

"Well, while you're thinking why not help me find something that will help Rarity make something in time for the fair? She really, really, _really_ wants to make a creative contribution." he said with the pounding of his fist, "She said I'm her favorite dragon, so it's up to me to come through for her in her time of need."

Now it was Bolin's turn to roll his eyes. He was perfectly aware of the little dragon's crush on the unicorn. It wasn't really much of a secret, really.

"There's gotta be some kind of spell that'll do the trick." Spike jumped onto the rolling latter to look for more books. Come on, help a dragon out!" he removed a single book and saw Owlowiscious hooting at him in the hole where he had taken the book out of.

Annoyed, Spike placed the book back in its place, hiding the owl, before sliding off to another portion of the shelf, only to find the owl hooting at him once again, with an arch eyebrow.

"Owlowiscious is right, Spike." said Bolin, "You sure this isn't all just to get her attention?"

"Ugh! It's not for me! It's for Rarity! The one tailored your suit for the last festival? And who made _you_ that bow tie you like so much?" he said to the owl, who hooted in response, while scowling.

"Okay, I get it."

Bolin began assisting by looking for more books. He puled one from its shelf, only to find that it was somehow connected to the wall by some kind of metallic arc. Suddenly, the room started to quake all the while Spike was still in his conversation with the owl, "You don't think we should use magic–" he stopped, noticing the movement of the room. "Bolin, what did you do?!"

"I don't know!"

The walls began to shift and slide to the side, revealing a dark and mysterious passageway. Within, there appeared to be some kind of stairway that led upwards to what appeared to be some kind of object on a pedestal with a glowing green light shinning over it.

"What is _that_?" asked the dragon, astonished by the find.

"I don't know." Bolin responded, equally amazed. As they got closer they noticed that the opening was locked by a metallic black cage with a lock on it. Bolin inspect it, "There's no key. How are we suppose to open it?"

Using his fire, Spike melted the lock in only a matter of seconds. He smiled proudly at Bolin. "Like that."

"Show off."

Spike was the first to willingly walk in while Owlowiscious began to hoot nervously warning him it was a bad idea. Even Bolin agreed.

Spike walked up higher and higher towards the pedestal, seeing that the object rested on it was actually a book made out of stone. He finally reached the top, the green light illuminating the room and shined over the stone book, which has spiked on its cover. He gently took it from where it stood, studying the object closely.

"Spike, I'm not so sure this is a good idea!" Bolin shouted from the entrance.

"What? If I wasn't supposed to have it, it wouldn't be so easy to get. And it's covered in spikes, like me."

As he spoke, the walls around him began to crumble, making Bolin and Owlowiscious all the more nervous as the little dragon casually walked down the stairs, which began to crumbled one by one right after he stepped on them. For a moment, he fell down and Bolin gasped, until he landed onto the very edge of the entrance and walked safely out of danger, completely oblivious as he read the tittle of the book out loud.

"Inspiration Manifestation: Instantly brings ideas to life."

Once he was out of harms way, Bolin literally passed out and Owlowiscious fanned him with his wing.

"I'm likin' the looks of this one. See Bolin, that wasn't so- Bolin?" he saw his friend passed out and the doorway close. He simply shrugged.

"Hmmm."

(~)

Asami continued to console the weeping Rarity, who couldn't stop crying. The pony had already eating her way through three tubes of ice cream. Asami, wanting to be the supportive friend, kept her silence and simply sat there, comforting her. She understood the sting of disappointment, probably not as over the top as Rarity did, but she sympathized with it none the less. The doors opened and Spike and Bolin walked into the boutique.

"Where have you been?" Asami asked.

"I brought something to help out Rarity." said Spike

"Unless it's another carton of vanilla oat swirl or word that the festival has been cancelled, I don't think I'm interested." said the unicorn in distress.

But the dragon kept on smiling, "It's magic!"

Rarity adjusted her messed up mane, "Spike, precious scales, I already have magic."

"But not the kind that can help you create something in time for the fair." he pulled the book out from his back and showed it to Rarity, "This can!"

The girls studied this strange looking object, Asami felt the most suspicious of it. "Where did you find that?"

"At the castle of the two sisters." Spike replied.

Asami still wasn't too certain about it. The book was made out of stones and had spikes on it. Rarity read the tittle out loud, "Inspiration Manifestation. Hmmm, it does sound promising."

"I don't know. You sure it's safe?"

"Of course its safe!" Spike assured them with great confidence, "The name fits Rarity perfectly. If that's not a sign I don't know what is."

Rarity was still a tad hesitant, especially with how the book was designed to look. Made up entirely out of stone and with spikes sticking out of the cover. Then again, she really wanted to feel better. And Asami wanted her to feel better too.

"I suppose it's worth a try." said the unicorn before turning to the heiress, "What do you suggest, Asami?"

"If you think it'll help then, I don't see why not. Besides, if it doesn't work you can always reverse the spell, right?"

"That's right! Okay, let's do this." Rarity levitated the book and started to read the words out loud, "_From in the head to out in the world, every thought to action. Hold close this book and through its spell, you'll start a chain reaction. Projecting forth whatever beauty you see. Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free_."

As she read, a mysterious green mist began to grow from the book and sink itself into Rarity's horn, causing it to glow in an abnormally green color, contrasting with its natural blue. Once she was done, Rarity's eyes bilked rapidly as if trying to remove something from her lashes.

"Did it work?" Bolin asked, almost unsurely.

"Hm, there's only one way to find out." levitating the stone book before her, Rarity's horn glowed an even stronger and thicker aura of green, contrasting with her natal blue aura. Her eyes focus on the book, a smile of determination dawned on her face and her beautiful blue eyes glowed an abnormal green. Her gaze held onto the object, dead focus as if thinking hard on what she wanted to happen.

In a bright brilliant flash, it did just that. The stone book was no longer made up of stone, but was now a completely normal book with plum colored covers, golden rims and a stunning, stylized cover with a golden star on a circle. Rarity's eyes returned to their blue form and she gasped with delight.

"Oh, my! I thought about making this a much more beautiful spell book, and I have!" the pony closed her eyes briefly and opened them once more, revealing their glowing lime green color, almost identical to that of Asami's eye color, minus the aura around them. She focused on the couch she, Asami and Spike sat on and Bolin jerked backwards when the sofa transformed into a jewel encrusted golden silk masterpiece of furniture. Rarity could not believe her now blue eyes, "Dear, dear Spike! Here I was about to give up, but like a true friend, you've come through with flying colors!" the little dragon blushed at the thank you, "Come! We must find the puppeteer right away, so that I may provide him with the most fabulous theater he's ever imagined!" the unicorn jumped off of the new couch, levitating the glowing book and smiling confidently, "Or, should I say, that _I've_ ever imagined."

Bolin felt a shiver go down up his spine when Rarity's eyes glowed green again. Spike didn't waste a second to join his friend but the two humans still remained. The earthbender was still at a loss for words. "Uh, did Rarity seem…different to you?" he asked Asami.

"She looks happy to me." she said, "Besides, after seeing how horribly upset she was before I think a little moment in the sunshine will do her some good."

Bolin arched an eyebrow, "You sure it's such a good idea? Rarity does tend to overreact at times."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I'd rather have her happy than fattening herself with ice cream." he tapped one of the gallons with her finger and ate some of the frozen sugary substance, "Mm, not bad."

"You know they have oats in them, right?"

Hearing this, Asami automatically spit the ice cream out of her mouth.

(~)

Placing the book into her saddle bag, Rarity and Spike, with Bolin and Asami close behind, made their way towards the puppeteer, who had to result to using Sugar Cube Corner's front doors for his theater. He scoffed when the unicorn approached him, wearing a smug smile worthy by Korra's standards.

"Ah, Miss Rarity, come to see the show, I presume? You'll notice I had to make do in light of your recent failure to produce a functioning theater." he levitated his puppets in from of the unicorn, and even they showed disinterest in what the pony had to offer.

"Oh, but I think you'll find the new one I've created will be much more to your liking!" Rarity pointed to behind the male pony, who's eyes widened and his hat comically flew upwards once he saw his new theater. Unlike the previous one, it wasn't coded with jewels and gold, but with simple designs and colors of purple, blue, yellow, red and green with a yellow and green flags on both sides on top, along with a long extended pole for the pony to place on his back in order to pull it. It was both simple, lovely and functional.

Ah, well, it is gorgeous, but that was never the problem now, was it?" using his puppets, he pulled the wagon theater, showing it could move fluidly and perfectly, "Oh, well, this one _does _seem to travel. Plenty of room for my puppets... I say, Miss Rarity, I don't know how you managed to do so in such a short amount of time, but you seem to have redeemed yourself. How did you manage to do so in such a short time?"

"As a matter of fact, she used a s–" before Spike could continue, Rarity covered his mouth with her hoof, silencing him.

"A good designer never reveals her tricks." she replied with great confidence.

"But you did use a–" Bolin tried to say, only to be silenced by Asami herself.

The puppeteer smiled, "Well, none the less, good job Miss Rarity. A pleaded job." with that, he happily took the wagon, making the unicorn squeal with delight.

"Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Feeling better?" Asami asked.

"Much, much better!"

The heiress turned to the earthbender, "See? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

The earthbender decided to comply and realize maybe he was exaggerating. He was probably too freaked out about the glowing green eyes and he assumed the worst. He scratched the back of his head, rather shyly. "Yeah, you're right. I was probably worrying about nothing."

(~)

"Thank you again, Spike, for being such a dear friend and finding this book for me!" the unicorn could not thank the little dragon enough, and he could not love the attention enough.

"My pleasure." the dragon jerked up when Bolin cleared his throat, "Oh, and Bolin helped. A little." he said, the earthbender rolled his eyes.

"Well, guess I we return it now that the fair's over, right?" Bolin asked.

"Oh, yes, of course. I've made my creative contribution as I'd hoped to do, and all is well!" Rarity levitated the book from her saddle bag and handed it over to Bolin. The object was still surrounded by the green thick aura. But just when Bolin was about to get the book, Rarity yield it back to her, "Uh, then again, perhaps I should keep it just a skotch longer... You don't mind, do you?"

"But, you said you didn't need it anymore." Asami stated.

"True, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to use the spell for a few of my designs? I have such a huge to do list piled up, and this would help me greatly."

"Well…"

"Oh! I already have a marvelous idea!"

(~)

Back in the human world, Asami, Bolin, Spike and Rarity were at Future Industries factory, where people were hard at work manufacturing various satomobiles.

"Our new line was suppose to be in this week." said Asami, "But due to the decrease in employers we've had to work overtime and we're still far behind."

"Well, never fear Asami my dear!" Rarity stood in the center of her room, her green horn glowing brightly before emitting a ray all around the building. Workers shielded themselves as did her friends. Once the light disappeared Asami was at a loss for words.

"No…way!"

Before her eyes was an assortment of beautifully manufactured satomobiles, mopeds and motorcycles far as the eye could see. There was ever more than they originally had planed.

"Rarity, this is incredible!"

"Anything for one of my most supportive friends." The unicorn said happily before the heiress squatted down to give her a hug. After seeing the wondrous miracle before her, Asami had come to realize that this spell was wonderful. She got what she needed thanks to Rarity. She wouldn't have minded if the pony kept the book with her longer, so far it seemed to do wonders for everyone.

Once they ended the hug, Rarity turned to the dragon, "So Spike, you still don't mind me keeping the book for a bit longer?"

"Of course not! I mean, if you can do all of this who knows what else you can do."

"Yes…what _else_ can I do?…"

(~)

Inside the office, a much more happier and relaxed Asami was organizing, and throwing away, a few of the papers she needed and no longer needed. Bolin stood there, scratching the back of his neck, "I don't know, you guys sure Rarity should keep that book of hers? I don't know about you but that green glow is really creeping me out!"

"What's the big deal?" Asami asked, "She'll keep it for a few more hours, no harm in that."

"She's right." said Spike, "And so long as she's happy, we're happy, right?"

"Besides, what's wrong with someone wanting a little bit of happiness?" Asami asked her fellow human friend, "Even if it's just for a short while, Rarity should be able to enjoy a little perk. Never know when it'll be taken from you."

The words she spoke gave Bolin the sinking suspicion that she wasn't just talking about Rarity anymore.

(~)

The following day, Spike went to visit Rarity by himself at her boutique, to which he saw flashes of green light emitting from the windows and distant magical zap sounds from inside the building. Spike knocked on the door, expecting her to answer.

"Rarity?" but instead of an answer, the doors suddenly just exploded open and a wave of new cloths just came crashing down around him. Rarity herself appeared, her horn and eyes still glowing that lime green.

"Spike, I'm so glad you're here!" she levitated him inside to where he saw the largest assortment of cloths he ever thought he would ever seen in Rarity's boutique.

"Whoa!" he was about to congratulate his friend until he took a good look at her. Her mane was a mess, her eye started to twitch and she didn't look as if she had slept all night but didn't seem to care in the slightest. "Are… you okay?"

"Oh, I've never been better! This book you've given me is amazing!" she started levitating all of the outfits she had made in an instant, her eyes flashing back and forth between blue and green, "Why, I, I, I, I've been up all night just creating and creating and creating and creating! I've completed my fall line for the next fifteen seasons!"

"Wow!"

"But then I remembered yesterday when I made Asami all of this satomobiles, and then I started thinking, 'why stop there'? Oh, Spike, I've always thought this town of ours could use a few beautifying upgrades, and with this book, I can make that happen with such ease! You will support me in this endeavor by letting me keep the book just a little longer?"

For a moment, Spike hesitated, but seeing how happy Rarity was and how excited she was, he wondered if he would be a good friend if he said to her 'no'. Last thing he wanted was for her to think he wasn't being supportive enough for her.

"Of course I will!" he replied, and Owlowiscious observed from the window outside, hooting nervously.

(~)

Bolin whistled while he walked along the way to find Spike, in hopes Rarity had turned over the book. He got his answer when he spotted the pair walk right pass him and he followed suit. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where's the fire?"

"No time, Bolin!" Rarity stated.

Spike panted behind her, "What do you say we get a little breakfast before we get started?"

"No time for breakfast! I want to get started right away!"

"Technically, we do have time, because with that book held close, you can just make things– Rarity?" the dragon found that Rarity had already gone ahead towards two houses, and Bolin crossed his arms.

"She didn't give back the book, did she?"

Instead of answering, Spike dashed off towards his friend and Bolin followed. They spotted Rarity in a darkened alley, looking outwards to the sunshine, where Applejack and Granny Smith were trying to sell apples from their wooden cart.

"Now, this is exactly what I'm talking about! Why, that cart hasn't an ounce of stylish flair!" with glowing eyes and horn, in a flash, the wooden cart had transformed into a golden, jewel encrusted cart in mere seconds. Applejack and Ganny Smith could not believe their own eyes. They knew magic was normal, but this was a tad too unexpected.

The elder pony shook her head in disbelief, "My eyes playin' tricks on me again?"

"What in rhubarb pie just happened?" Applejack asked.

Rarity was incredibly satisfied with this new transformation, "Isn't it gorgeous?"

"It's amazing!" Spike complimented, "You should ask Applejack if she wants you to give _all_ the Apple family carts a makeover!"

"Oh, I don't really think I need to ask permission, darling. Everyone _loves_ surprises, especially when they're gorgeous ones!"

"You're right! Everypony _does_ love surprises."

"Mako doesn't like surprises." Bolin said, "Unless it involves surprise kisses from Korra, then it's okay."

Rarity spoke to the two in a hushed tone, "We shouldn't even tell anypony that it's me who's behind all the fabulous changes I'll be making!" she giggled, "Won't that be a fun little secret for the four of us to share?"

Spike and Bolin shared skeptical looks, "The… _four_ of us?"

"You, me, Bolin, and the book, of course." she levitated the book and hugged it like her life depended on it, "My marvelous, marvelous book!"

Spike was now beginning to see why Bolin was so concerned about Rarity's behavior and her closeness to the book previously. But still, maybe they were overreacting.

"…Of course."

"Promise me you won't say a word to anypony?"

Spike 'zipped his mouth' and muffled, "You got it!"

Rarity looked up at Bolin, who looked far more hesitant, but once he saw her icy cold glare he saluted nervously. "Uh, yeah, you got it! My lips are sealed!"

"I knew I could count on you, boys. And I also know just what I want to do next!" Rarity could not contain her excitement any longer.

(~)

Rainbow Dash was hard at work, removing some of the unnecessary clouds from the sky with her powerful back leg kicks, "Take that! And that!" she giggled with delight. She loved doing kicked, wether it being bad guys or simple clouds. This was just too much fun for her. However, her fun was interrupted when all of a sudden a gorgeously designed ball down appeared on her, much to her shock and horror. As lovely as it was, it was just far too extravagant, not to mention heavy, for her to fly in. She grunted as she struggled to get it off of her.

"What in the... Get... it... off... me!"

Down bellow, Spike and Bolin winced at the sight of their dear friend in distress, while Rarity was only feeling more and more satisfied, "I've always thought Rainbow Dash could use a little more glamor, and now look at her! Cloud-busting with style! Moving on!" Rarity gave a short laugh before walking along.

"She'll be fine, right?" Bolin asked Spike with worry.

"Of course she will. It's just a dress." he ran ahead to follow Rarity, "Uh, wait for your favorite dragon!"

Bolin saw Rainbow Dash fly directly onto the roof of a house and cringed at the sight. Poor Rainbow Dash. But sadly, she was only one of the first victims.

(~)

Fluttershy was as happy as could be as she placed the bird food onto the bird house for one of her robin friends. Singing all the while, "La la-la la-la la-la la la... There you go, Mr. Robin!" Mr. Robin chirped happily in gratitude before landing on his simple wooden house. "Don't you look so content in your little house–" a magical zap appeared right out of nowhere and before her very eyes, the simple bird house turned into, what appeared to be, a bird mansion.

"Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped and the robin chirped in distress, peeking her eye into one of the many windows, "You're lost? No, not that way, that looks like it's the door to a... bedroom. Try that one over there. No, no, that leads to a...Shoe closet? Oh, dear. Maybe try the staircase? Oh, no-no-no, the _other_ staircase."

From afar, Rarity was basking in the wonderful new house for the winged creature. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

"It's probably the most beautiful birdhouse ever created." Spike said honestly, though he was also concerned about the bird inside.

"Go on." Rarity insisted, wanting to hear more praise.

"Only, I'm not sure if the bird's a big fan of it." said Bolin.

Rarity scoffed, "Pfft, what does a bird know about architectural design? What matters is what you boys think. And _you _love it. Don't you?"

Rarity's smile was almost wicked in appearance, making Spike gulp before answering, "Of course we do. Right, Bolin?"

Not wanting to get on the unicorn's bad side, he lies, "Uh, yeah! It's so... Rarity."

"It is, isn't it?" the unicorn smiled in satisfaction before becoming distracted with the sound of foals laughing. "Ooh!" she galloped ahead and the boys hesitantly followed. Spike got hit on the head by an acorn, causing him to look upwards. He spotted Owlowisious, glaring down at him from a tree branch.

"The owl's right." said Bolin, "Rarity's going off the deep end."

"It's not that bad." Spike insisted, but even he himself wasn't fully believing this.

Very close by, adorable little foals were having a birthday party, complete with cake, sweet candies, fun games, a mariachi band and an adorably funny clown.

"Oh, adorable!" Rarity complimented, "But it could use a touch of class, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, definitely." Spike replied, while Bolin remained silent.

Rarity's horn and eyes glowed once more, making the human male flinch at the sight. He didn't know if it was all in his mind's eye or not, but he could have sworn the aura had gotten stronger at this point. Rarity's irises were barely seen underneath the green glowing aura.

In a flash, the gelatin which the ponies were eating transformed into a stunning swan shaped ice sculpture. One filly looked on in disappointment. The table of delicious candy and cakes was replaced by small tiny fancy party foods, mainly small veggie treats on toothpicks that couldn't even fill up an ant. The clown had transformed into a fancy waiter, holding a tray of sandwiches. The poor fillies were both confused and even disappointed, but Rarity was far too caught up in her own mindset to notice.

"This party doesn't even seem to have a proper theme. Let's do something about that, shall we?"

"You've already made things look really really great." said Spike, "Maybe you should stop while you're ahead?"

"You're right, Spike! There's so much to do elsewhere!"

"Right! Elsewhere…"

"Just one more little thing before we go…" in a green flash, the mariachi band was transformed into a classy musical orchestra with a violin, a hard and a cello. Rarity smiled in satisfaction, "Why, this party is certain to make the society page now. Won't Pinkie Pie be pleased?"

Just as the words left her mouth, Pinkie Pie herself came along, holding a birthday cake with four candles on top. "Happy, happy day to– huh?!" for once, she was completely speechless. Was this the right party?

Seeing Pinkie's reaction and the little foals so disappointed with the party was enough to make Bolin put his foot down. He grabbed Spike by the tail and held him upwards, "Okay, Spike. Time to face facts: Rarity's completely out of control!"

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad. And the party is pretty nice."

"Yeah, but does _anypony_ look happy?!" he extended his hand, showcasing what their friend had done, while several foals began crying sadly. "That unicorn's got to cut down on the green mumbo jumbo, pronto!"

"Okay, okay! I'll figure something out."

Bolin inmediatly dropped Spike when Rarity suddenly gasped, "Wait! Why must I stop here in Ponyville? Why, I could probably reinvent all of Republic City!"

Bolin gulped in fear, "Oh, boy…"

(~)

Asami could not be happier to have had half of her work done in such a short amount of time, and it was all thanks to Rarity. But, her happiness was about to take a drastic turn. She suddenly heard what sounded like magical zaps coming from downstairs. Curious, she rushed down to see what the commotion was about until she was suddenly blinded by a bright brilliant light. She closed her eyes shut, trying desperately to find the staircase so she could walk down, but even the stairs felt slippery and she tripped…only to be caught by Bolin.

The heiress blushed in embarrassment before standing up straight and noticed what had happened to her house. The walls were literally made out of solid gold, the stairs and staircase had turned into solid crystal and jewels adorned the walls in the most over the top way imaginable. Asami felt like she had stepped into a jewelry box…that exploded.

"What…is…this?!"

"It's Rarity! That spell of hers has gone haywire! She's completely changing everything in Ponyville! And the city is next!"

"Bolin, I know Rarity can be a bit over the top, but there's no way she could ever…" she stopped when Bolin arched an eyebrow and extended his hands, showcasing the state her house was currently in. The heiress was convinced now, "Yeah, she's gone crazy. Where is she now?"

"With Spike, he's trying to get her to stop but she won't budge." the poor earthbender face palmed himself, groaning in despair, "Oh, this never would have happened is Spike never found that book!"

Asami then got an idea, "That's it! The book! Just get the book away form Rarity."

"That's a great idea!" he instinctively grabbed Asami's wrist, "Come on, there's not another minute to lose!"

(~)

The unicorn was literally giddy with excitement as she and Spike strolled down downtown Republic City, "I am simply buzzing with ideas. Simply buzzing!"

Spike looked up to see the owl, who had followed them, still glaring down at the little dragon. He knew he needed to come up with something and fast before Rarity did something even crazier. "That's great! But, uh, you've been at this for a while now. How 'bout you take a break? Give that brilliant mind of yours a rest?"

"Don't be silly! I'm not going to stop now! Why, I won't stop until every inch of Republic City and Ponyville has benefited from my creative vision!" suddenly, the poor dragon felt the undeniable sensation of fear when Rarity's glowing green eyes aimed directly at him, "Starting with _you_, Spike!"

In a flash, Spike was now dressed in a jewel encrusted armor, consisting of blue and violet gemstones. It was so heavy he couldn't move in it at all. But regardless of how he felt, Rarity was delighted with joy.

"You look fabulous!"

"All because of you, heh…" he replied uncertainly, the armor was just too much for him.

"Anything for my favorite dragon and most supportive friend. Come, there's so much more to do!"

Rarity galloped ahead, causing Spike to tumble and fall. Asami and Bolin arrived on her moped, seeing their little friend on the floor. Asami was rather disgusted by the gaudy sparkly armor Spike had on.

"I'm guessing operating; 'get the book from the crazy unicorn' didn't go as planed." Bolin said as he helped the dragon up, but even the stones were heavy for him as well.

"I don't understand." said Asami, "She seemed so happy before."

"Oh, she is happy…happily obsessed!"

The group heard the sound of a motorcycle engine running and turned their heads to see a familiar bike ridding up and stopping. The bike had two riders, one driving and the other on the back. The driver removed his helmet and goggles while the one behind him, a female, removed her helmet to reveal her long brown hair tried into three parts and an alicorn flew beside them.

"_Korra!_" Bolin exclaimed with fear upon seeing the Avatar. If she knew what happened to Rarity, she would be angrier than a dragon when you wake it from its sleep.

"_Mako!_" Asami exclaimed, no doubt Mako was asked to investigate the weird things going on in the city, and feared what he would think of her involvement with this.

"_Twilight!_" Spike exclaimed right before Bolin dropped him. If Twilight found out he would be in so much trouble.

"Oh no, not you too!" the alicorn exclaimed as she helped the dragon up.

Bolin and Asami smiled nervously, "Korra! You're back!…yay." Bolin said, doing a fake cheer. He was more nervous than Pabu on bath day.

The Avatar's attention turned to the dragon, "Spike, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh. Well, judging by that outfit, I thought for sure you'd–"

"What? This? I just wanted to try out a new look." he said before loosing hi balance and stumbled backwards, now laying on his back, "You like?"

Korra and Twilight arched their eyebrows and Mako began asking questions, "Well, in that case, have you guys seen anybody suspicious around?"

"We've been getting reports about these strange magical occurrences for the past half hour." Korra said, "Trees in the park are now silver, the streets turning into gold, stands getting bejeweled and it shocks me I even have to use that term in a negative light!"

"Plus, she's been acting moodier than usual." Twilight said, placing a hoof on Korra's shoulder. The Avatar rubbed her temples, already feeling another migraine coming on.

"I can't help it! It feels like there's some kind of imbalance or something and I have no idea what it is or what it's doing. It's almost as if something is blocking me from figuring it out."

"You sure you guys have no clue what's going on?" Mako asked.

The three shared worried looks before responding in unison, "Uh, nope."

Korra took in a deep breath before speaking to the three, "Guys, the last thing I want to do is yell at you for no reason, but if any of you are hiding something from me, so help me, _I will smack you so hard it'll make your ancestors dizzy!_" she quickly recollected herself, "Sorry, I'm really not feeling like myself today."

The radio on Mako's bike sounded off and a familiar voice was heard, "Mako, Korra, we've got another strange occurrence downtown. The buildings have been turned into solid crystal, and folks are trapped inside its walls!"

"We're on it, Beifong!" Mako quickly replied before turning back to the others, "If you see anything suspicious, anything at all, let us know as fast as you can." both he and Korra got back on his bike and drove off, with Twilight flying close behind.

Once they were gone, Bolin turned to Asami, "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Why didn't you?!"

"You're the honest one!"

"So are you!"

"I got scared!"

"So did I!"

"I didn't want to get blamed!"

"Neither did I!"

The two became silent for a moment before realizing what they both confessed. "Wow…" was all Bolin could say.

"What?" Asami asked.

"It's just…I've never seen you react like this before. You're usually so calm and cool. Except when you have cider."

Asami gave a light chuckle, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like I did."

"No, it's fine." he assured her with a kind smile. The moment was ruined when Owlowiscious swooped down and hooted at the earthbender, "You're right, Owlowiscious. We've got to tell them the truth. Even if it does mean Korra will break our limbs."

"No!" Spike protested, "I made a promise to Rarity to keep this to myself!" the two teens, plus owl, only narrowed their eyes at him. Spike sighed in defeat, "But you are right, Owlowiscious. We have to tell. And once we do, I can forget Rarity thinking of me as her most supportive friend... I can forget Rarity thinking of me as a friend at all…"

Asami and Bolin shared the same sympathetic looks for the poor little dragon. "Spike, if you really want to help Rarity, you'll tell her the truth." he said, "When Korra first said she only liked me as a friend I was upset too, but then I realized she did it because she cared. Even though the truth was hard to take, she did it because she's my friend. And you need to do the same for Rarity now."

Asami, my all means, was astonished by Bolin's words of wisdom and honesty. It really moved her deep inside, even at the moment she didn't entirely understand why.

Spike sighed, "You're right, Bolin. But she won't listen while she still has that book. If I can get it away from her, I bet she won't be able to use its magic anymore!" Owlowisious rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on, it's the perfect plan! We… just have to figure out which way she went."

"I can't see!" A loud scream was heard by various bystanders, who were instantly blinded by the now shimmering golden sidewalks that caused them to slip and fall, and various cars to screech to a startling halt.

"I'm thinking she's headed this way." Asami said, pointing in the direction of where the road was heading.

(~)

Rarity was giggling like a hysterical maniac, her eyes twitching while continuously glowing green along with her horn. She stood on the roof of a tall building, overlooking all of her 'brilliant' work. She was so enwrapped in her own mindset that she was completely blindsided to the people suffering down bellow. Even her ears were deff to their cries.

Following the green glow, Bolin, Asami and Spike made their way up to the roof. The dragon held onto Bolin's back and leaped down once they reached the top. The two teens kept silent while Spike tiptoed towards the unicorn to take the book from her bag. So far…so good...

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Spike jerked back once Rarity noticed his attempts, "Uh, me? I was just, uh... basking in your creative radiance."

Bolin and Asami face palmed themselves at his response, which was enough to calm Rarity down. "Oh, Spike, you do say the nicest things."

Asami stepped forward to the pony, "Um, Rarity? Can we talk for a minute?"

"What is it, darling? No wait! Don't tell me. You want your satomobiles to have more flair am I right?!"

"What?! No, no, no! The cars are fine the way they are, trust me!"

"Nonsense! It won't be a problem at all. In fact, why don't I give them gold-plated rooftops, diamond wheels! They will be the talk of the city!" her eyes and horn glowed once more, stronger than ever. Asami had to act quick, this has gone on long enough.

"I'm sorry, Rarity." in a flash, Asami used her quick reflexes to summersault and take the book from Rarity's saddle bag, landing on the other side with it in hand.

"What?! Give me back that book!"

Spotting Owlowiscious, Asami tossed the book towards the owl, who in turn tossed it to Spike. Rarity galloped towards him, her eyes fuming with anger. He reacted and…swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.

The three, even the bird, all dropped their jaws at what Spike had just done. "You know, you could have just burned the dang thing!" Bolin stated.

"I paniked!"

"My book!" Rarity's screamed practically reached the heavens. She leaped froward and tackled the little dragon, "I _need_ my book, Spike! What have you done with my book?!" she growled like an angry lion.

"I…I…I…"

"Rarity, get off of him!" Asami demanded and the unicorn turned towards her.

"You. I go out of my way to make your job easier and this is the thanks I get?!" in a green flash Asami suddenly found herself stuck to the floor by a pair of diamond encrusted shackles.

"Hey!" she shouted upon seeing the shackles around her wrists, which were far too heavy for her to lift up. She tried to lift them up to no avail before realizing what had just happened. "How did you do that? The book is gone!"

Rarity was just as surprised as she was. "But, wait... I don't seem to need it anymore, do I?" the revelation of it all was bringing her ego up once more, "Yes… yes...! I can feel its magic flowing within me now! I'm so excited! I'm so excited!"

"I'm so scared." Spike said quietly, shaking in fear.

"My work here in nearly complete. And soon, the rest of the world-nay-both here and Equestria will be touched by my creative brilliance! Ooh, I'm thinking we go by chariot! Or, as everyone will soon be calling them, "Rariot"!" she laughed hysterically while her magic created golden jeweled encrusted chariots one by one in the blink of an eye. "Oh, the places we'll go! Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot! The Fire Nation, Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom! And there you'll be by my side, just as you've always been, your constant praise and adoration driving me to even greater heights, until there isn't an inch of both worlds that hasn't been utterly transformed by my creative _genius_!"

Her eyes and horn transformed the roof to solid gold and Asami suddenly gained a bejeweled ball gown that began to weigh her down even more. Bolin gained a jeweled tuxedo of emeralds and gold, which prevented him from even moving. Now, it was all up to Spike. Seeing his friends like this was just too much. Enough was enough.

"…No."

"_What_ did you say?" Rarity asked with venom in her voice.

"I said 'no'." Spike repeated, taking the two teens, and owl, by surprise, "You've been changing things, but you haven't been making them better. I should have told you the truth at the very beginning, but I didn't because I was trying to be a supportive friend."

"You're not alone, Spike." Asami confessed, "I encouraged you to let Rarity keep using the book. I didn't know it go this far, I guess I was blindsided by the new fancy cars I didn't think of the consequences."

"I'm sorry too." said Bolin, "We all should have said the truth."

"Yeah." Spike agreed, "But instead, we let you become something awful."

"Awful?" Rarity's expression softened once the words reached her ears and progressed the meaning in her mind.

Her eyes closed shut only to reopen once more. Her irises disappeared, turning her eyes entirely green. Her body rose up from the ground and the green glow emitted from her eyes, leaving behind a glowing pure white before the green spell vaporized into thin air, never to be seen again. She gently lowered down, opening her now normal eyes, feeling slightly woody.

"Ugh… what happened?"

"Rarity! You're okay?" Spike asked hopefully. Was his friend truly back for good?

"I… I think so…" the pony then gasped once she saw what happened to her friends, and then all over the city, "though by the looks of it, something quite terrifying has happened to Republic City."

"You happened." Bolin stated, still frozen in place due to his new outfit.

"Me?"

Spike gasped once he remembered, "The last part of the spell! _Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free."_

"The spell took over you, and you wanted to change everything in Equestria." Asami explained, "And everything here too."

Spike fiddled with his claws nervously, "I was afraid to tell you how I really felt about it, but then I... I told you the truth."

"We all were." Bolin said sadly.

"Oh, Spike, Bolin, Asami, you should never be afraid to tell me the truth. We're friends, remember?" Rarity embraced Spike in a warm hug. Asami and Bolin smiled happily, knowing their best friend was back to normal.

So, when you get the chance, can you help me and Asami out of these get ups?"

(~)

Once Twilight got word of what happened she, along with Princess Luna and Princess Cadance and Rarity herself cleaned up Ponyville of the dark magic while Korra, as well as the police force, assisted in cleaning up the city along with the alicorns. Spike, having learned his lesson, wrote down on the friendship journal.

"_Today I learned how important it is to be honest with your friends when they're doing something that you don't think is right. A true friend knows that you're speaking up because you care about them."_

He sat on the floor of Asami's office, who she herself was looking out the window. Today was quite the exhilarating day for her. She had been on crazy adventures before, but today was somehow different. She didn't fully understand why, but while she was with Bolin, she had opened up in ways she never thought she would. Normally, she was always calm and collected and poised, that's just how she naturally was, even when on the race track. But today, it was kind of different. She never had to analyze her feelings like this before. If she was happy she was happy, if she was sad she was sad, if she was angry she was angry, if she liked something she liked it, if she hatted something she hatted it. Only now, things weren't as simple as they used to be, and it wasn't always easy for her to adapt. However, while these thoughts swarmed in her head, she was almost afraid to dig deeper into them. Could it be she could figure out just why she still held onto her and Mako's past relationship even though, deep down, she knew it would never happen again?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and Bolin walked in. "Good news, all the gold, silver and jewels have been cleaned up. Although, I'm probably still going to keep finding emeralds where no man should ever have emeralds." he hit his left ear with his palm, and a few tiny emeralds came out of the other end.

Spike got up, holding the journal, "I'm gonna go and check one everybody else down stairs." he said, though in reality, he knew these two needed to talk alone.

Bolin scratched the back of his head nervously when Asami turned around to face him, her longer avenue hair sweeping elegantly as she moved. "You wanted to say something?"

"Yeah. I know, for a while now…well, you see…" this was hard but, much like Spike, he needed to tell her the truth. "You upset me."

Asami blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?"

"I mean, I notice how hard it is for you to see Mako everyday and all, and I can see your effort to try and make friends but, I don't know, I still feels like you're hiding from something and I may not be the best at giving advice but, I just want you to know, whatever it is that's bugging you, and if you ever want to talk to or at least have somebody to listen well…I'm here for you."

Touched by his words, Asami placed a hand over her heart, a gesture showing her thanks. She suddenly felt compelled to tell him at least a bit of how she felt. "It's just…before the Equalist thing my life used to be so simple and noncomplex but now…things are changing. I feel like I'm strapped into a ride I'm not ready for."

"Change can be scary, I know. I've have to face change almost every day of my life. But, you don't have to go through it alone."

"Thanks. You're actually the first and only person I've told this to. I don't know if I'm ready to tell the others just yet."

"Well, when you're ready, you can always come to me."

The heiress smiled in gratitude. "Thanks, Bolin." things might be chaining, but it wasn't all that bad. This was a process she would have to struggle with for a while until the day arrives where she can finally be free from it, and fully…let it go.

(~)

The two arrived downstairs, where they saw Twilight, Mako and Korra, all with messed up hair and exhausted expressions on their faces. The alicorn glared at the three, "Never, ever, ever, _ever_ take another book out of the library at the castle without asking! Princess Cadance and Princess Luna have much better things to do than help me clean up Ponyville! Do you have any idea how hard it was to reverse that much dark magic?!"

"Very hard." Korra said while still getting some gems out of her hair, "Especially when you don't have magic."

Mako shivered a bit, "I don't think I've ever been so sick of looking at flashy jewels in my life."

"My apologies." Rarity said, her mane also a mess, "That spell packed a real nasty punch."

"No wonder Korra didn't know it was Rarity causing all of this." said Twilight, "That spell warped her personality so much she was almost unrecognizable."

Rarity then smiled once Korra took her into her arms, wrapping her in a warm hug. "I'm just glad my sweet and only slightly over the top Rarity is back." the two girls giggled while they hugged, happy to have things back the way they were.

"So, all's well that ends well, right?" Bolin asked while clapping his hands together.

Korra, while still carrying Rarity, laughed. "Ah, ha, ha, ha! Are you kidding me?!"

"Oh, come on! We learned out lesson, can't you cut us some slack?"

Korra took in a deep breath, "You're right, I'm being too harsh. Of course, I'll let it slide."

Bolin, Asami and Spike sighed in relief…right before a bucket full of water dumped all over their heads, curtesy of Twilight Sparkle, who wanted payback as much as Korra did.

"Starting_ now_."

The three only stood there, dripping wet. Asami simply shrugged, "Eh, could have been worse."

"You guys look terrible." Spike said, making the two teens glare at him, "What? I'm just being honest! It's what good friends do!"

(~)

_"Oh, Spike! You silly little dragon._

_So, there you have it. While Asami does eventually realize the mistakes of holding onto the past too much, it was still early on when she and Bolin's romance started to take root. Even if they couldn't see it at first._

_Tune in next time for another,_

Tales of Equestria!"


	14. Pinkie Apple Pie

_"Whoa! That was some birthday party! Oh, hey there! _

_I just got back from Grandma Yin's birthday party. That lady can really cling onto life. _

_You know, it's times like these where I realize just how much Mako and Bolin have come. I mean, they grew up living in the streets of Republic City, and now they have the biggest family they could ever imagine. And, just between us, I hear it's getting even bigger in Korra and Mako's case, "Wink, wink!"_

_It's always nice to know there's more family to come around. Why, it reminds of the time Pinkie Pie first discovered she could possibly be related to Applejack. _

_And a certain pair of brothers were tagged along for the ride._

_*(~)*_

**Pinkie Apple Pie**

Stacks upon stacks of books filled the Olden Oak Library. Before it was destroyed in the battle with Tirek, this was Twilight Sparkle home in Ponyville. On this day, the alicorn princess was doing some interesting research. Her belly rested on the carpet as she turned the pages of the book with her magic.

Once she was one for the moment, she placed it on top of a stack before walking to one of the shelves to get another book.

"Whatcha doin'?" A certain pink pony asked, peeking her head through the hole where Twilight had just taken her book out of.

"Aaagh!" The alicorn screamed.

"Aaagh" yourself! But that doesn't answer my question, silly." Pinkie said with a giggle.

The two ponies suddenly heard the sound of somebody hitting his head and crying out in pain, "Ow!" said the voice, who was none other than Bolin, who had just now caused a stack of books to tumble and fall. "Oops. Sorry, Twilight."

"That's alright, Bolin." the princess said with a smile as she magically placed the stack back to how it originally was with ease.

"So, what _are_ you doing?" Bolin asked, repeating Pinkie Pie's previous question.

"Just some genealogical research."

"Ohhh." Pinkie said as she uncurled herself from the shelf and fell flat on her face before getting back up. Spike walked on by, carrying a few scrolls, and Pinkie whispered in his ear, "I don't know what that is."

"Genealogy is the study of family history." Spike said as he placed the scrolls onto a pile, "Y'know, where ponies come from _and_ who they're related to."

"Ooh, fascinating." said Bolin, stroking his chin in thought.

"Yeah it is!" said Pinkie Pie. It was an interesting topic. The idea of discovering a long lost family history was too cool to not grab her attention. Maybe she was related to a heroic adventure pony, or a famous pony in recorded history, maybe she was related to a wise wizard unicorn, or a historian, or a famous singer. She was interested now more than ever. Using her mouth she picked a stroll from the pile, only she choose one that was near the bottom. If she took it out the pile would surely collapse on top of her and create a mess.

"Maybe you should pick one from the... top?" Twilight tried to warn her friend, only to stop once she saw that the stack was perfectly still, despite having one scroll missing. Only Pinkie Pie could do such a thing.

The pink pony unfolded the scroll and started to read what it said. "Uh-huh… Interesting... I see... Hmm, that makes sense... Not much of a surprise there…" as she kept on reading and unfolding the scroll, which was really, supper, extra long, all the way out of the room, down the stairs all the way outside the library.

_"WHAT?!"_

Bolin, Spike and Twilight flinched when they heard Pinkie Pie's scream of shock. Twilight opened the window to see Pinkie Pie a few feet away from the library, finally having read the very last part of the extremely long scroll. The pony could barely contain her excitement upon her discovery.

"This is the most amazing thing ever! Why didn't you tell me how amazing this is?! Genealogy is better than cotton candy on top of a fountain of chocolate!"

Bolin ran towards the pony, her reaction sparking his curiosity. "What? What did you find?" he asked, only to have the pony shove the scroll right in his face.

"You'll never believe who it says I'm related to!"

Bolin removed the scroll from his face and read the words for himself. Once he was done, his eyes also widened and he couldn't be any happier for the pony.

"No way! This is unbelievable!"

(~)

A knock on the door was heard and the orange pony opened it.

"Hey, _cousin_!"

Pinkie Pie smiled widely with glee as she wrapped her hooves around her long lost relative…

Applejack.

"Uh, say what now?"

"Twilight was studying genealogy and guess what I found out! I'm your fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin!"

Applejack blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"You guys are related!" Bolin exclaimed excitedly from behind Pinkie Pie, "Isn't that great?!"

(~)

Latter on, once having explained the whole thing to Applejack's family, the idea of Pinkie Pie being related to them slowly began to grown on them. They already loved Pinkie to bits so it would only be more wonderful if it turned out Applejack and Pinkie Pie, two best friends, were really related to one another.

"This is just so excitin', I can hardly believe it!" said Applejack.

"I know! Isn't it the best?" said Pinkie Pie, siting on a sofa in the Apple's living room, with Bolin sitting cross legged on the floor.

"To think, you guys are already best friends, and now your family!" the earthbender smiled for the two ponies while wrapping his arms around both of them at once.

Apple Bloom began jumping up and down like the excitable little filly she was, "I have another sister! I have another sister!"

"Well, you actually have a fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin, but that's like _exactly_ like a sister!" Pinkie Pie corrected, all the while smiling her usual happy smile.

"I'd try to tone it down a little around non-family members," said Applejack, "because I don't want to make them jealous, but...

"This is the best family _ever_!" Apple Bloom continuously jumped on the couch, unable to contain her excitement. She jumped so hard a spring from the sofa popped out, sending her flying up into the air, only to be safely caught by Bolin.

"It really is." said Applejack as she smiled at Pinkie, "You are gonna _love_ bein' an Apple." she said as she placed a pillow on the spring on the sofa, "I mean, you've got the playful one…" she said, her eyes turning to Apple Bloom.

The little filly quickly took a beach ball and started bouncing off the walls while ridding on it, making Pinkie clap her hooves.

"The strong one…" Applejack gestured to Big Mac, who was now lifting up a kitchen cabinet with one hoof.

"Eeyup."

"And of course, there's Granny Smith, who knows everythin' about everythin'!"

"A Ponyville snail can hibernate for up to forty-eight moons!" said the elderly pony, taking great pride in her elderly knowledge.

"Who knew?" Pinkie said in wonder at this fact.

Bolin's eyes widened in awe as well, "So much wisdom."

"And then there's me." Applejack walked to the window, taking in the fresh farm air, "Do you smell that sweet apple air, Pinkie Pie?" the pink pony took a whiff of the air just like Applejack did and opened her mouth to reply, only to have the orange pony cover her mouth with her hoof. "That was rhetorical. Of course you smell it. You're an Apple now!"

"And Applejack is the one responsible for it!" Apple Bloom said as she galloped outside once Applejack opened the door.

"Aw, Apple Bloom, that is sweet, but-"

"It's true! I mean she keeps us all organized and on schedule and does her own part on top of it all!"

"Just like Mako!" said Bolin, "In fact, after we lost our mom and dad he's been the only family I know. You guys are so lucky to have one another."

"Hey, you're part of the family too, Bolin." said Applejack.

"Really?"

"Anyone who's a friend of the Apples is guaranteed and honorary Apple!"

"I was already super happy as a Pie!" said Pinkie, "And now I get to be a part of this amazing family too!"

"It's even more amazin' now that you're in it!" said Apple Bloom before she and Pinkie began a rhythmically cheer together, "We're family, we're family, you an' me are family!"

The little filly twirled the older pony for the finale, but twirled her a bit too hard that it made her crash into a stack of hay. Non the less, she was still as happy as could be.

"Best family twirl _everrrrrrr_!"

"Huh, I just can't believe we've never heard anythin' about this before!" said Applejack as she read the scroll Pinkie Pie brought with her. She furrowed her eyebrows in thought as she read, "Hmm…"

"What's wrong, A.J?" Bolin asked curiously at her intense reading.

"I'm not seein' where exactly it says we're family."

Pinkie Pie dusted the hay off of her coat and, once again, traced the scroll to the end, starting from the entrance to the barn all the way to the back.

"It's riiiiiiiii-" she stopped to inhale, "-iiiiiight here!" she pointed her hoof to the very last paragraph of the scroll.

"It… is?"

"Uh-huh. Applesauce of the Apple family lineage is a fourth cousin twice removed of the Pie family!"

"I see the part about our great, great auntie Applesauce and fourth cousin twice removed part, but that last bit's awful smudged. Are you sure it says 'Pie'?"

Pinkie reread the lat part, trying to see where Applejack was coming from. "I guess it is a _little_ smudged, but I see most of it there, and when I read it, I knew in my heart it was true!" she said, her eyes beaming brightly like stars.

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest thing!" said Granny Smith just as Pinkie came over to receive a group hug from her, Big Mac and Apple Bloom.

"It is, it is." said Applejack, now sounding a tad uncertain about what the scroll actually had written on it. "I'd just hate for us to get all excited before we found out for sure."

"So how are we _supposed_ to find out for sure?" Apple Bloom asked.

Granny Smith began stroking her chin, pondering in thought over the situation until finally remembering something from her past. "Oh! Cousin Goldie Delicious!"

"Gesundheit!" Bolin said.

"No, her cabin's practically an Apple family history museum! If anypony has the records to back up Pinkie's theory, it's her!"

Applejack knew her larger than life family all too well, so she was very well aware of Goldie Delicious and her habit of holding mementoes from her family's history. She was the perfect candidate to help sort this whole thing out. "Huh, I suppose we could always... I mean, Goldie Delicious doesn't live that far away, and we haven't been on one as a family in a real long time…"

"Come on, Applejack!" Bolin said, clenching hist fists excitedly, "I mean, if I ever had a chance like this I'd take it by the horns! Besides, look at them…" he gestured to Pinkie and the rest of the Apple Family, all smiling wide with their teeth bare while hugging Pinkie Pie, already accepting her as part of their clan.

Even Applejack had to admit, the idea of discovering one of her best friends could be blood related to her, it was much too wonderful for words. She wanted to know just as much as they did.

"Are y'all thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Family road trip!"

"Family road trip!" Bolin exclaimed happily alongside the Apple Family, only to quickly realize what he just did. "Oh, I mean _your_ family road trip. Yours, not mine, that's…that's what I meant." the earthbender nervously chuckled while fiddling with his fingers. He had been so caught up in the hype of their possible family discovery that he nearly forgot he didn't have his family anymore. Aside from Mako. He considered Team Avatar to be his family, but to discover ones blood relatives was still a pretty cool thing to think about.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie shared a glance, smiling in agreement. "Bolin, how would you like to come with us?"

"Really? No, no, I couldn't. I wouldn't want to impose or anything."

"We insist. After all, you're a witness, wouldn't you want to see the end results too?"

"And you're like family to us too, Bolin. You and Mako." Apple Bloom said, hopping around him like the happy little pony she was.

The rest of the Apple Family all nodded in agreement. The more the merrier, they would always say. Bolin have them all the biggest smile he could give before swooping Apple Bloom into his arms in a tight embrace.

"Family road trip!"

(~)

"Come on, Mako! Come on, come on, come on!" Bolin kept on pacing in place, his knuckles gripping tightly at the straps of his backpack, impatiently waiting for his older brother to approach him, carrying a bag of his own. The two were practically opposites in personality; Bolin being more openly optimistic while Mako was more reserved and rather broody at times. Very few people could get this boy to open up, those that could were his brother, Korra and the ponies.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Mako replied. The two human boys arrived at the Apple Family farm, where a large wagon piled up with an assortment of bags, luggages, and other strange items like a horn, sowing machine, portraits, etc., which were odd for a trip Just how long did they think they would be gone.

"Why did you want me to come again?"

"Don't you want to find out if Pinkie Pie's an Apple or not?"

"Uh…I guess." Mako really didn't know what to answer. Normally, he would simply state it was non of their business, but with Pinkie Pie being their friend, and an extremely important one to Korra, saying that out loud would make him appear harsh. "But, why is it necessary for us to come along?"

"Applejack invited me so I invited you. It's just so exciting! Can you imagine finding out if your best friend in the whole world was related to you? Did you know Zuko's great grandfather was Avatar Roku? That makes him and Avatar Aang practically family! You have to admit, it's pretty awesome."

Mako rolled his eyes and decided to humor him a bit, "Yeah. Hey, maybe dad had a third cousin on his mother's side who was related to the king of Ba Sing Se."

Bolin gasped in awe, "That would be so cool!"

"You know I was kidding…right?"

"Has anypony seen my travelin' bonnet?" Granny Smith asked as she walked right out of the barn…while wearing a red bonnet on her, imprinted with floral patterns and a blue ribbon, using it to tie it around her head.

"Isn't that it on your head?" Apple Bloom asked, arching an eyebrow, prompting her granny to look at her own head to see that indeed she was wearing it. Apple Bloom had seen Granny's traveling bonnet more than once so she knew what it looked like, and this was definitely it. However, Granny Smith denied it was.

"No!" she said, confusing her youngest grandchild.

"It looks an awful lot like-"

"Well, it ain't, and that's final!"

Mako and Bolin exchanged the same confused expressions. Granny Smith was known to be a tad forgettable, so this really shouldn't have come off as much of a surprise.

Applejack walked out of the barn and greeted the two boys, "Hey, Bolin. Mako. Glad ya'll could make it."

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss it!" Bolin said happily, "Man, I can't wait to hit the road, we can sing songs, road trip games, oh I'm already so excited!"

"Shame Korra couldn't come along, though." said Mako, "Tenzin caught on to her blowing off her airbending training to go to Equestria so now she's grounded and training double time for the next week."

"That's a gosh darn shame." said Applejack, "Good thing Pinkie's bringing a camera to take plenty of pictures."

"Speaking of which, where is Pinkie Pie?" Mako asked.

"She's back home gettin' her stuff for the trip, can y'all gather round for a moment? I just wanted to say somethin' real quick."

"I've had somethin' in my teeth this whole time, haven't I?" Granny Smith asked, "Gadsnickety, what a way to welcome a family member!"

"Er, no, Granny, your teeth are fine. I just wanted to be sure that we're all on the same page about showin' Pinkie Pie how awesome a family we really are. We want her to get to know the family she's been born into, but, like, the _best_ version of it, y'know?"

Bolin scratched the back of his head in confusion. "The _best_ version?"

"Is there even one?" Mako asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I just don't want Pinkie to feel so excited about being a part of our family only to find out we're not all that great to begin with."

"I'm pretty sure she won't even notice." said Mako, "I mean, it's Pinkie Pie."

Bolin nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Besides, you're a great family! Heck, I wish I was related to you guys."

"Don't you worry, honey." Granny Smith said to her older granddaughter, wrapping a hoof over her shoulder, "The feller's right, and Pinkie will have the best time."

"I'll bet my future cutie mark's gonna be a picture of me bein' the best behaved pony ever!" said Apple Bloom, "That's how good I'm gonna be! Big Mac?"

"Eeyup."

"What do you think, Uncle Mako?"

Mako could only smile and chuckle as he ruffled her mane, "We'll know soon enough, kid." he said in the most kind and loving voice. Despite his rough exterior, Mako was a true sweetheart underneath. As went would go by, that tender loving heart of his would slowly makes its way up to the surface and remain there instead of being protected by that hard shield he had created during his childhood. The idea of traveling with the Apple Family was slowly growing on him. He found himself kind of getting excited.

The sound of a familiar happy pony came galloping along, her saddle bag filled with confetti and streamers, which was strangely bursting out as if she had a small cannon somewhere in there. Which, by her logic, would be very likely.

"Are y'all ready to go? Because I'm ready to go-go-go!" Pinkie said before tossing her bag into the large wagon, which would be pulled by Big Mac.

"Er, Big Mac? Are you sure we really need all that stuff?" Applejack asked her older brother as he placed a cowboy hat near the luggage. He was a stallion who always came prepared for anything, so naturally this trip was no exception. After all, he was the man of the house, always attending to his sisters and grandmother whenever he was needed.

"Eeyup." he replied.

Applejack still felt uncertain about the large amount of objects and materials her brother had packed. It was all quite heavy, and she feared the old wooden wagon would't be able to hold them all long enough.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to really pull all that stuff?" Applejack asked. She knew her brother was strong, but even he had his limits.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, his eyes narrowing slightly upon her questioning.

"Are you sure the wagon's strong enough to hold it all?" Applejack asked, looking down at the wheels and noticing them wobble a bit.

Big Mac groaned in frustration before replying with an angry, "_Eeyup_!"

Applejack stopped asking after that reply. Her eyes shifted to the side, noticing Pinkie Pie smile in her direction. She really wanted to make a good impression for her. While Pinkie Pie was the kind of pony who really got upset about anything, that didn't necessarily exclude the fact that she could get completely devastated if something was not what he had anticipated. She was already in love with the idea of being related to the Apples, Applejack didn't want her to regret it latter on if she saw her family was far from perfect.

With a tip of her hat, Applejack rallied everybody up onto the wagon. "Then lets get this show on the road!"

"Alright!" Bolin cheered as he took his spot on the wagon, scooting a bit to make room. He grabbed his brother by the arm and had him sit beside him. The two were tightly placed among the materials and luggage the family had brought with them. Bolin's smile was wide while Mako was frantically a frown.

He still felt very out of place here. He rarely knew what it was like to be part of a family, the only one he ever knew was with Bolin. How would he fit into a family that wasn't his own?

Little did he know, he would come to learn the answer to that question bit by bit. And today was the starting pistol.

(~)

With Big Mac pulling the large wagon, the journey had begun. Already, Mako could feel his body jumping up and down due to the bumpy road. It wasn't as uncomfortable as he had feared, and at least it wasn't as unbearable as he thought. Bolin was as excited as ever, his wide grin permanently printed on his face, while Mako just sat there, patiently waiting for either one of the family members to start a conversation, ask about the weather or simply exchanged a few words here and there. He would have expected this to be a silent trip, but with Pinkie Pie he knew that was highly unlikely, so he mentally prepared himself fro her breaking into an excitable song at any moment.

Speaking of which, the sound of two frying pans clanging together was heard, creating what sounded like a rhythmic tune. It was accompanied by the squeaky sound of the wagon itself, especially with Big Mac galloping happily without even breaking a sweat. The sounds really were beginning to sound more and more like music.

Even if Mako wouldn't have said so out loud, he had acquired a liking to music since his time with Korra and the ponies. If she were hear she'd be nodding her head to the sound. It was strange how the simplest of everyday sounds could suddenly transform into naturally formed music. The wagon hit a peddle, which made the large pile of objects and luggage move, and a simple banjo had fallen out of the pile into Mako's lap. The firebender scanned his surroundings as he strum on the strings a bit. He did like the sound these strings made, and it reminded him of when his mother would sing him and Bolin to sleep while their father played on a small guitar. There was just something about the strings that captivated Mako, the same way singing captivated Korra. He took the banjo and started strumming a happy tune, perfectly in sync with the rhythm of the natural sounds coming from the wagon. Before long, the ponies ridding alongside him were waving their hooves to the beat.

"C'mon, Apples, y'all know this one!" Applejack said, clapping her hooves with her grandmothers.

"Hot-diggity!" Granny Smith cheered, making her oldest granddaughter cheerk happily.

"Yee-haw!"

"Eeyup."

"What did I just do?" Mako asked in disbelief, his fingers still strumming the banjo. He never would have thought he would be the one to start this whole musical number. But he did.

"Keep it up, bro!" Bolin said with a smile, "It's not a road trip without a song! Hit it, A.J!"

**Applejack:**

_We travel the road of generations_

_Joined by a common bond_

_We sing our song 'cross the pony nation_

_From Equestria and beyond_

Applejack leaped from the wagon alongside Apple Bloom, giving the two brothers even more room, while Granny Smith remained seated beside them and Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down on top of the mountain of luggage due to Big Mac dancing alongside his two sisters, who sang in perfect harmony to the music Mako had, unintentionally, created.

**Applejack and Apple Bloom:**

_We're Apples forever, Apples together_

_We're family, but so much more_

_No matter what comes, we will face the weather_

_We're Apples to the core_

Big McIntosh:

"Eeyup."

At the mention of "face the weather", and actual storm cloud appeared above them, and the two Apple sisters shielded Pinkie Pie with two umbrellas before the cloud disappeared entirely.

"How did that happen?" Mako asked in confusion. But Bolin only dismissed it.

"Let logic, more singing!"

**Apple Bloom:**

_There's no place that I'd rather be_

_Than travelin' with my family_

_Friends all around come to join and see_

_As we sing out across the land_

**Applejack, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom:**

_We're Apples forever, Apples together_

_We're family, but so much more_

_No matter what comes, we will face the weather_

_We're Apples to the core_

_Big McIntosh: _

"Eeyup."

Once again, a weir weather occurrence caused Mako to question the logic of this whole thing. A powerful wind suddenly appeared and Pinkie Pie was nearly blown away, only to be brought back when Applejack lassoed her and reeled her back onto the wagon.

"Seriously, is nopony questioning this?" Mako said, but again, his question went unanswered.

**Granny Smith:**

_We're peas in a pod, we're thick as thieves_

_Any cliché you can throw at me_

As she sang, this the Apples dressed up as pirates, with Applejack holding an apple inspired flag and Pinkie Pie was dressed as a burglar, with mask and stripped white and black shirt and all. Even Bolin and Mako were dressed as robbers, mainly with a red and green bandana mask over their eyes, and holding ninja weapons for some reason. Bolin liked it while Mako was still skeptical.

_We're here for each other, through thick and thin_

_You're always welcome with your Apple kin_

_Wheeeeee!_

The pink pony's bright blue eyes widened with child-like wonder. She felt like one of their bunch with each passing moment. They made her feel welcome, loved and happy. She loved their closeness, she loved their bond, and she loved being a part of it. She still didn't think this trip was necessary to find out if she was an Apple or not, she felt it in her heart, but even so she was glad this was a way for her to fall even more in love with this family.

**Pinkie Pie:**

_You're more fun than the color pink_

_Or balloons flying over your favorite drink_

_The love I feel here is swim, not sink_

_As we party across this land_

**Apples:**

"All right!"

As Pinkie Pie tossed confetti all around, Mako still found himself strumming on the banjo. "Why am I still playing this?"

"You're getting into the spirit!" said Apple Bloom, ruffling his hair with her hoof, which made Mako smile. Their love for one another really was contagious, even he was beginning to feel the love that emitted from this group. As time went on, he slowly began to think he was glad Bolin dragged him along. He simply shrugged and sang along with the group, and his brother.

**All:**

_We're Apples forever, Apples together_

_We're family, but so much more_

_No matter what comes, we will face the weather_

_We're Apples to the core!_

**Big McIntosh and Bolin: **

"Eeyup!"

Once the song came to a close, the entire group suddenly felt the wagon wobble even more than usual. The squeaking sound was replaced by the sound of cracking wood breaking into pieces. The wagon wobbled rapidly before collapsing to the ground, bits and pieces of chattered wood surrounded them all around, their materials scattered around them, their landing causing the dust of the road to rise up, reaching their mouths. The ponies and brothers coughed and once the smoke cleared they saw that the wagon was completely demolished. Upon closer inspection, Mako could see that the wagon was indeed very old, not only was the wood week and crumbling, but even the metal that held it together was rusted. It held for a good long while but now it was beyond repair.

He was about to say something but was interrupted when Applejack spoke first, angrily addressing her older brother, "Big Mac! I thought you said– " the country pony stopped on her tracks upon noticing Pinkie Pie behind her. After, quite literally, demonstrating how close they were as a family, Applejack didn't want to make her think they weren't. She had to remind herself this trip was for her, not them. "Uh, I thought– I mean, not that I'm blamin' you, because we don't blame in this family, but I thought you said all this stuff wasn't gonna be too heavy."

Applejack smiled rather nervously when Big Mac glared at her, pressing his forehead close to hers, his green eyes piercing directly at her own. Of course it wasn't heavy for him, he was able to carry all of them with ease up to this point.

"How're we supposed to get to Goldie Delicious now?" Apple Bloom asked as Bolin gently placed her down from one of the larger trunks.

"Let alone get back." said Mako as he inspected the remains of the already destroyed wagon. "We have no mode of transportation."

"Not to mention, we're closer to cousin Goldie's that we are to home." said Granny Smith.

"To bad Asami isn't here." Bolin said sadly, "She could drive us there and back in no time."

"I don't think Asami can get us over _that_." Mako pointed to a few feet ahead where they saw a small ravine and a long rope bridge…which was already destroyed and wasn't strong enough to sustain even the wagon if they still had it.

Bolin read the sign that was placed there and read out loud, " "In need of repairs. Come back next week". Well, that's a stone cold bummer!"

"That was the only way to Goldie Delicious!" said Applejack.

Then, Pinkie Pie gasped with delight, "I have the best... idea... ever! Family river trip!" the pony galloped excitedly, with the long beautiful river flowing from behind her. "The river is heading in the same direction we're going."

"Just one problem." Mako said, "We don't have a raft."

"'Bout the only thing that _didn't _get packed." Applejack said under her breath, which did not go unheard of from her brother, who angrily pouted and glared at her. He was the one who single handedly got them this far, what was she complaining about?

"Well, back in the old days, we used to use the sap from a sugar pine tree to glue things together." Granny Smith said as she walked over to a tree, which had sticky sap on the trunk, and a squirrel stuck to it. Bolin managed to get the poor creature out of the sap.

"That is, uh, fascinatin'…" said Applejack with uncertainty, "Don't know that it's helpful, but it _is_ fascinatin'…"

"Pfft! 'Not helpful', my patootie!" Granny Smith said as she lifted up one of the wagon's wheel with her head, "We're gonna build ourselves a raft out of these here jalopy parts and keep it held together with sugar pine sap!"

"Hm, worth a shot!" said Applejack.

"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

(~)

With the boy's help, Applejack and Big Mac tightened the vines around the raft, having found strong and sturdy wood to use as well when the wood from the wagon had run out or was too broken to even use. Since they didn't pack a raft, none of them wore safety vests. Mako grunted as he pulled the vine once more, making sure it was tight enough.

"You sure this'll hold until we get to Goldie's place?" Mako asked the country pony.

"The pine sap should hold it together long enough. And if not…well, keep them fingers of yours crossed. I would too, if…I had any fingers."

"It could be worse." Bolin said, "We could head over a huge waterfall with sharp rocks to the bottom."

"Don't jinx it!" Mako exclaimed. If there was one thing he knew about this world, is that if you think of the worst, chances are, the worst will happen.

The raft was made entirely out of wood with both pine sad and long strong vines holding it in place. The Apples also used the remaining wood for a wheel to better stir the thing and get to Goldie Delicious's house safely. This time, they had a limited amount of items, ones of which they didn't even mind leaving behind since they wouldn't never need them anyways.

"Now remember, this time we're only packin' the necessities." Applejack said.

"Well, let's get this show on the road!" Bolin said excitedly, "I mean, raft on the…river…you know what I mean."

"Wait a second!" a flash nearly blinded the group. Once their vision had cleared, they saw it was Pinkie Pie with a camera. "This one is for the scrapbook!" she giggled and pulled a book from her saddle bag, opening it to reveal an assortment and decorative pages filled with pictures of the Apples, herself and the two bending brothers. Some pics were from the musical number they sang, others of Mako playing the banjo, and even a few off guard ones like Granny Smith haven dozed off at one point, and Bolin waking a funny face.

"Pinkie Pie, when did you have time to make this?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

Pinkie Pie placed the book back into her bag and looked at her friend with a deadpan stare. "Applejack, when you're family, you _make_ the time."

Using his powerful hoof, Big Mac pushed the raft forward and they were off. Applejack took the wheel, cheering in triumph. "Woo-hoo! We did it!"

"Say 'soaked'!" Pinkie Pie said with a smile, which actually confused the others. Why in Equestria would she say…?

The camera clicked and Pinkie smiled at the image of the now dripping wet group. The raft had created a small wave that soaked them all to the bone. None of them smiled. Applejack, Big Mac and Mako glared in annoyance while Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Bolin just looked surprised.

Mako shook his head, the water dripping everywhere. Of all the times for Korra not to be here. "This just might turn out to be the longest trip of my life." he said while wrinkling his jacket, only for Bolin to get an idea.

"Oh, I have the perfect remedy for that!" he pulled out a tambourine and began playing a familiar tune, "_We're Apples forever! Apples together-_" he stopped when his brother took the instrument away.

"Not. In. The mood."

"You know, I'll never get what Korra sees in you."

(~)

The journey was more calming than before. Applejack took the wheel, leading the group in the direction to Goldie's house. Mako took this moment to just take in the scenery. He had to admit, the land of Equestria was indeed beautiful. It was no wonder Korra loved visiting here so often, aside from the Mane Six. Even the birds that flew above sang their own little tunes. Even if it was mostly to himself, Mako found himself humming along. Good thing nobody else heard him this time. The land, the music, the atmosphere, it was all so calming, like anything and everything could happen. But, in a good sense. He smiled as he watched Granny Smith and Apple Bloom playing chest.

For a moment, he envied the little filly. She lost her parents just as Mako and Bolin did, but unlike her, he never had an adult figure to be there for him. He had to take on that role for Bolin, and it was hard not only for him but for Bolin as well. He knew he could never replace their father or their mother. Still, there were times in which he wondered what it would be like to still have them around. He barely spoke about it unless asked, and he was hesitant to even bring it up on his own.

"So what you're saying is, if I have the courage to jump, the parachute will open." the firebender turned his head to hear his younger brother, who sat with Pinkie Pie as they listened attentively to Big Mac. For a stallion that didn't say much, he was pretty insightful and have a lot to say when he did.

"Eeyup."

"Whoa! That is deep!" Pinkie said in awe, her eyes wide in wonder.

"Eeyup."

Mako gave a light chuckle, which caught Apple Bloom's attention. "Hey, uncle Mako, where did you learn to play the banjo?"

The question made the firebender's eyes widen in surprise. "I didn't. I only know a few tricks on how to play a guitar. A banjo's pretty close."

"Well, you're _really_ good!"

"Almost like your fingers were maid for stringin'!" said Granny Smith, making the firebender blush.

"Uh, thanks."

"Who taught you how to play?"

"I guess I picked it up from my dad."

"Was he a musician?"

"No, he just liked to play while mom sang me and Bolin to sleep." his face then dropped. He could still hear her voice, beautiful and clear. Her warm embrace and her loving kisses. He fought the urge to tear up right then and there. He then felt the filly's hoof over his hand.

"I'm sure they'd be very proud of both of ya." she said, her amber eyes sparkling with child-like innocence that warmed Mako's heart just gazing into them. "I barely remember my parents, and the little I can is pretty foggy." her ears lowered sadly. Mako's only reaction was to ruffle her mane.

"They'd be proud of you too, Apple Bloom."

"Guess we got more in common than we thought, hu?"

"Yeah. We do." Mako smiled, his sadness drifting further and further away. Maybe this trip wasn't as bad as he thought after all.

Applejack squinted her eyes as she leaned forward. Her eyes then widened in shock, "Uh-oh… All right, y'all. Please tell me that the map didn' get wet. 'Cuz it looks like I'm gonna need it right about now."

Straight ahead, the river had split into three parts, two leading forward but in opposite directions, while the third led to the left. Apple Bloom spotted a yellow rolled up piece of paper stacked at the very top of the pile.

"Found it!" she said as she aimed to get it, only to be stopped by Bolin.

"I'll get it for you."

"No, I can do it." Apple Bloom insisted before springing forward and climbed up the pile, which wobbled slightly as she did, the map loosing from where it stood and a soft breeze made her mane and large pink bow bellow against it. Just as the map was about to fly off, Apple Bloom quickly grabbed it with her mouth. "I got it!" she said as she prepared to lower down, only to suddenly loose her balance. Acting fast, Mako rushed over and caught the filly who fell from the pile. She feel into his arms before she could hit the water bellow, but in her shock she had released a cry for help, and in the process, the map had flown out of her mouth. She tried to get it back but it was quickly taken away by a fish that leaped out of the water and dove right back down….the fish was then captured by an eagle and taken away. Pinkie Pie took a photo of the whole thing.

"You okay, Apple Bloom?" Mako asked the little filly as he gently placed her back down.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Can't say the same about the map." said Applejack, her ears lowering in disappointment. "You really should have just let the boys get it. You could have gotten yourself hurt."

"Hey, not my fault Big Mac packed all this stuff!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, only to have Big Mac narrow his eyes at her.

"Say 'best siblings ever'!" PInkie Pie readied to take another picture, and the three Apple siblings all huddled together, forcing themselves to smile as the camera flashed. "Ooh, that's another keeper!" said the happy pony. Once her back was turned the three continued their angry glares, which made the two brothers feel a bit uneasy.

"It's okay, y'all!" said Granny Smith, "I travelled down this river as a filly and I know it like the back of my hoof!"

"Are you sure you know which way to go?" Applejack asked as she looked on at the three paths ahead of them.

"Does a June bug like to hide in a tree?"

"Does it?" Bolin asked, scratching his head, "I don't know."

"Well, I _do_ know! And I also know we wanna head southeast! Now step aside, young'un!" Granny shoved her eldest granddaughter aside, much to her annoyance. Applejack loved her grandmother, but she could be so incredibly stubborn. She thought she knew everything just because she was older, but the old pony couldn't even see her traveling bonnet when it was right on top of her head.

"Is it a good idea to let the old lady drive?" Bolin asked his brother, whispering close to him while shielding the left side of his face with his hand.

"It's never a good idea." Mako replied.

Granny proudly stirred the raft and headed down the path that lead southeast just as she said. Already, Applejack was beginning to question her grandmother's choice.

"Um, Granny?"

"Myuh-huh?"

"Are we supposed to go through a cave?"

Bolin's eyes widened in horror upon seeing the said cave straight ahead. Like all caves, it grew increasingly darker from inside, and several stalagmites hung from above. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he saw something move from inside. The earthbender gulped as he gripped his brother's arm.

"Ah, don't worry, child! The scariest cave in Equestria was down that other way!"

"Scariest? Cave? In Equestria?" Bolin's grip on his brother's arm tightened and Apple Bloom jumped up into his arms. The earthbender now held onto both the filly and his brother.

"Oh, it's a fright all right! Filled with creatures that'll eat ya soon as look at ya!"

Pinkie Pie rose up, her body shaking, "Ooh, sounds scary. Tell us more!" she said, her face shifting to one of pure excitement.

"Ponies go in... but they never come out!"

Bolin gulped and quivered, Apple Bloom griped his arm tightly, Mako only arched an eyebrow and Pinkie Pie was clapping her hooves excitedly. Apple Bloom then gasped when she heard a chattering sound. "Wait! Ya'll hear that?"

Mako heard the sound coming from beside him, and saw Big Mac's teeth were chattering and his body was shaking. The firebender rolled his eyes. "It's just Big Mac's teeth." he said. He placed hid palm underneath the stallion's chin and made him stop his teeth chattering and he stopped shaking.

"And you're sure it's not that cave?" Applejack asked, her voice beginning to tremble, "The one we're headin' straight for?"

"Now, Applejack, I taught you better than to question your elder ponies!" said Granny Smith, looking sternly at her granddaughter, who narrowed her eyes in annoyance. The two noticed the pink pony, smiling at them. The two remembered their deal to be on their best behavior when around Pinkie Pie.

Applejack laughed nervously as she wrapped a hoof around her grandmother's shoulder, "Heh… you sure did."

"Alrighty then. Now everypony just sit on back an' leave the steerin' to your old Granny Smith."

Bolin whimpered once they entered the cave. The light of day disappearing from sight as the darkness of the cave began to consume them all. Even Mako was beginning to feel the fear creeping up on him.

"Well, it was nice knowing you, big bro." Bolin said as they were already halfway inside the cave.

"Uh, Bolin. Just to let you know…I'm sorry about taking sugar dumpling from the fridge."

"Wait, you said that was Pabu! I can't believe you-AH!"

Before Bolin could continue, the entire group began to scream in terror, along with the sound of growling echoing inside the walls, followed by a camera flash.

"Got it!" Pinkie said, right before more growls and screaming was heard and she continued taking more and more pictures. "Best scary unidentifiable creature ever! Say 'terrified'!" The group continued screaming and the unidentified creature continued its bloodcurdling scream which overlapped the group's screaming.

Thankfully, the raft made it safely out of the cave with everyone in tact. Granny Smith was wide eyed and jaw dropped, frozen in place, while the Apple siblings and bending brothers huddled together, their eyes as wide as coulee be, their bodies trembling as the frightening images continued replaying in their minds.

"I've never seen anything more horrifying in my life!" Bolin said, his body still trembling, unwilling to move.

"And I thought angry ponies were terrifying." Mako said, unlike his brother he didn't tremble as much, but his body was frozen in his position holding the others tightly in a protective manner.

And all the while, Pinkie Pie was humming happily, one hundred percent free of fear. Granny Smith finally shook herself back to her senses, "Guess that _was_ the scariest cave in Equestria." she said, only to receive matching annoyed glares from her grandchildren and the two brothers. "Uh, of course I meant to take us through it!" the elder pony quickly said, trying to cover up her mishap, "Unexpected adventure is good for the soul!"

"Best granny wisdom ever!" said Pinkie Pie, making Granny smile proudly.

Applejack managed to pry herself out of her group hug of frightened heroes and approached the wheel, speaking to her grandmother with subtle firmness. "Uh-huh. Why don't you just scooch on over there, Granny? Think I'll take it from here on out."

Granny Smith scoffed angrily and took the wheel by force, "Huh! Is that how I taught you to treat your elder ponies?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Is it?" Pinkie said with a smile.

"You taught me to trust my common sense. And my common sense says we should get to Goldie Delicious's cabin in one piece." Applejack took the wheel from Granny Smith, angering her even more.

"And that is exactly what _I'm_ gonna do!" Granny said, taking the wheel back. She had been around longer than Applejack, who was she to question her elderly wisdom?

"That is mighty generous of you, but I think you've done enough for one day." Applejack took the wheel once more, and Granny only took it back again.n

"And how exactly are you gonna know which way to go?" the elder pony said smugly.

"Alright, that's enough!" Mako intervened between the two mares, "Granny, as much as we appreciate and respect your elderly wisdom I think we can all agree _none_ of us have any idea where the heck we're going."

"Well, what kind of manners are those, sonny?"

"You just led us to the scariest cave in Equestria after you said it wasn't! I'm gonna be seeing that face in my nightmares for months!"

"Well, we wouldn't be lost if the map hadn't gone overboard!" said Applejack.

Apple Bloom angrily stomped her hoof, "Hey! There wouldn't have been an overboard if Big Mac hadn't overpacked the jalopy!"

"Eeyu- hey!"

"Exactly! So I think we can all agree that from here on out, I should be in charge of everything'." said Applejack, which only infuriated her family even more. Before long, the entire Apple clan started yelling at one another, their words overlapping the other making it difficult for anyone to make out what they were saying. Emotions flared, words became mixed amounts the anger filled exclaims as Granny and Applejack fought for the wheel.

Mako knew this would not solve anything. They were all acting like immature children. Every part of his mind was telling him to stop this juvenile behavior, so her did. He came in between the group, shoving Applejack and Granny Smith aside away from the wheel.

"That's it! Everybody stop!" he shouted as he took the wheel himself, trying to keep both ponies from taking it by force. None of them knew which way to go, granted neither did he, but that wasn't the case. He needed to get them to stop and think things over. However, the wheel had already gotten loose and when Granny made another attempt to get it, it popped right off, slipping from Mako's hand and it flew into the air, landing on the water around the neck of a quaking duck…which was then taken away by yet another eagle.

Mako blinked in surprise and then laughed nervously when the Apple family looked at him with angry eyes. In his attempt to make them stop fighting, he had only made matters worse. How could he had been so stupid? He never should have intervened in their affairs. They weren't his family so why did he?

To his relief, Pinkie Pie popped up, still smiling. "I just wanna say... that I think you're all super duper, and I can't wait to make a page in my scrapbook about the amazing waterfall we went down!"

"Say wha…?"

All eyes turned forward when the sound of water rushing reached their ears. Just as Pinkie Pie had said, a gigantic waterfall was straight up ahead.

"Sharp rocks to the bottom?" Bolin asked.

"Most likely!" Pinkie replied happily.

"We're dead."

The entire family began to frantically shift the raft away from the waterfall, splashing their hooves into the water to try and change course, but there was no other course for them to change to. Their attempts were futile and the waterfall came closer and closer. Before they knew it, the raft fell down the extremely tall waterfall, which appeared to be at least eighty feet high. The entire group screamed at the top of their lungs, mentally preparing themselves for their demise.

Pinkie Pie was the only one not screaming and was instead waving her hooves up in the air as if she were on a roller coaster ride. Taking out her camera, she took pictures of the even. One of her with a screaming Apple Bloom, another with the terrified bending brothers, one with her giving a screaming Granny Smith a hug, ruffling Big Mac's mane and one of her and Applejack, who shielded her eyes, while Pinkie made duck-lips at the camera.

The raft eventually reached the end, the shimmering white foam covered them all from top to bottom. After a while, the raft resurfaced, perfectly in tact and everyone alive and well, though soaking wet. Bolin opened his eyes hesitantly and began touching his body, making sure this wasn't a dream.

"We're alive? We're alive!" he happily hugged Big Mac and kissed him on the head, which in turn made the stallion himself feel very uncomfortable.

Granny Smith smiled upon seeing everyone perfectly in tact, not to mention amazed to realize they were all still breathing. "Huh! Told you that sugar pine sap would hold this thing together."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but…thank Celestia for tree sap!" Mako said. The saying itself felt odd for him to say, but in this case he was just happy to still be alive.

"Wait, where's Pinkie Pie?" Bolin asked, frantically searching for her. He got his answer when the pink pony came lowering down, holding onto her brightly colorful balloons and landed safely onto the raft…which then broke into pieces which floated in the water along with the group and their belongings. Pinkie's balloons popped and she too fell into the water along with the others.

(~)

With the little they did manage to preserve, the group made a very poorly constructed wooden wagon which Big Mac pulled. Granny Smith was the only one ridding it. Their hooves and feet were aching and they all groaned in exhaustion, minus Pinkie Pie who hopped along. The pony hopped ahead once the group stopped in front of a wooden house in the middle of the woods. It was a simple cottage with a hay stack rooftop, wooden doors and windows and a stone chimney that was seen on the side of the house.

"We're here! We're here! We made it to Goldie Delicious's's's's's!"

"Finally!" Mako said out loud, not even bothering to hide how he was really feeling. At this point, he was just happy that this whole trip was nearly over.

"You guys! There's a _note_!" Pinkie said once she pulled the said note which was tapped on the wooden door. Her eyes scanned the paper and she giggled.

Mako wanted to just snatch the paper from her hoof but even he knew that was too harsh. "Uh, Pinkie Pie? Maybe you could read that one out loud?" he said, grinding his teeth.

"Oh, right, sorry! I haven't even read it yet. I was just looking at how pretty the paper is." Pinkie said, making Mako groan in frustration. "Okay, it says that she ran off to run some errands but will be home soon! Oh, that's perfect!"

"Why is that perfect?" Apple Bloom asked, her voice mixed with disappointment and confusion.

"Because it'll give me enough time to get more scrapbook paper! See ya!"

One the pony hopped off to get the paper she said, Apple Bloom sighed sadly, "Worst family road trip. Ever."

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied sadly.

"I can't believe she witnessed our family fallin' apart like this." said Applejack with a disappointed sigh.

Bolin squatted down to her level, smiling in reassurance. "It wasn't that bad."

"What are you talkin' about? We argued left and right!" Applejack sadly looked at her grandmother, her ears lowering in regret.

"Well, maybe if Mako hadn't torn the wheel off."

Mako's eyes widened, "What?!"

"You were the one who had it last."

"I only did it to stop you guys from fighting! This is exactly why I didn't want to come in the first place!"

"You didn't want to come?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Mako with her big golden eyes. They were enough to make Mako reconsider what he had just said. He reeled back, looking down in shame.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just…I have no real business being here. This whole trip was to find out if Pinkie was related to you guys why did I have to come? What could I have done? This was _your _family trip, it's _your_ family and I'm…I'm not." he said sadly, his gaze falling to the ground in shame. "And now my meddling just messed everything up. I don't even know why I did that."

For a moment, all were silent. Only sad looks were exchanged instead of words. Mako felt awful. He knew he never should have come. He should have just let them go on their trip. Bolin just had to persuade him to come.

The earthbender looked down in regret. "I'm sorry, Mako. I shouldn't have forced you to come. I just, I thought it would be nice to be a part of a family again, even for just one moment."

Suddenly, to Mako's surprise, Applejack began to chuckle. "Mako, you're a clever guy, but even you're not the sharpest pitchfork in the tool shed."

"What are you talking about?"

"You weren't the only one to mess anything up. We all did. You never would have needed to come between us if I hadn't argued with Granny Smith so much. It was like I wasn't myself at all."

"Aw, that wasn't your fault." said the elderly pony, "My stubborn streak got a hold of me somethin' fierce. Should've let you take the wheel long a'fore that."

"It was my fault the map got all wet…" Apple Bloom said sadly.

"I was the pony who—" Big Mac was interrupted when Granny covered his mouth.

"Now, now, Big Mac, you gotta know we forgive you for packin' the jalopy so much that it collapsed. You was just as eager to please Pinkie Pie like the rest of us."

Bolin scratched the back of his neck, while racing the tip of his foot around the dirt like a bashful child. "But Mako does make a good point. I shouldn't have wiggled myself into your family business."

"We know why you did, dearie." said Granny with a kind elderly smile, "There ain't nothin' wrong with wantin' to be part of a family."

Mako was surprised when Apple Bloom hugged his leg, "And if you hadn't been here I would have fallen into the river."

"But, I caused the wheel to fly off."

"You only did that because you didn't want us fightin'." said Applejack, "That just means you care about is. Heck, Korra would have done the exact same thing if she were in your place. I should know." she winked.

"And we like having you guys around." said Apple Bloom, hugging both of the brothers' legs. "That is, if you still want to."

Applejack lowered her hat, placing it close to her chest, "I think we have to let Pinkie Pie know that even if she does discover that she's an Apple, she does _not_ have to feel obliged to consider herself one."

"Are you _kidding me_?! You guys are the best family ever!" Pinkie Pie stomp her hoof in statement to that after she had come back with her scrapbook supplies.

"How can you say that?" Applejack asked in disbelief, "We started out as one big unit, and now look at us."

"Yeah! _Now_ look at you! You're all here _still_ in one big unit, loving each other and owning up to what went wrong! You never gave up, even when things got tough!"

"She does make a pretty good point." Bolin said.

"You aren't just family, you're best friends!" Pinkie then leaped and tackled Applejack to the ground, "And I wanna be an Apple more than ever!"

"And we want you to be one too!" said Apple Bloom.

"Yippee!"

"Now _that's_ how you run an errand." an extra voice called out. The group spotted a female elderly pony walking towards them, carrying bags filled with kittens on her back. She was a light orange colored pony with emerald green eyes and platinum blond hair which was slowly turning white due to her old age. She wore a pink laced collar around her neck with an elegant victorian styled broach in the center. She shared the same freckles as Applejack on the sides of her cheeks. Pinkie Pie was the first to greet her.

"Hello!"

"Hello yourself!"

Applejack greeted her second, "You must be Goldie Delicious. So nice to meet you."

"Uh-huh. And who exactly are you?"

Pinkie Pie hugged her entire family together, "We're Apples!"

"Oh, and who are these strapping young two legend creatures?" Goldie asked, looking up at the two teenage boys.

Mako waved first, "Hello. We're just tag alongs."

"And we think we're all Apples." said Applejack, addressing the situation, "But we need your help finding out if Pinkie Pie here is our fourth cousin twice removed."

"Well why didn't you say so? If anypony can help solve this genealogy mystery, it's me!" Goldie walked over to her wooden door, which creaked as she strained to open it, which was quite stuck as it would appear. "Oh, I am sorry about this. I wasn't exactly expectin' company. Lemme try to squeeze in here…oh!" Goldie was surprised when the two tall human boys politely opened the door for her. "Why, thank ya'll kindly. Lemme just tidy up the place a bit."

The group watched in surprise as the elderly pony began tossing several items out of the house. Those items included several cats, kitchen utensils, an old horseshoe, hay, a lamp, a bucket, empty bottles, chairs, a phonograph, a few books and several more cats. This pony most certainly had a lot of thing to hold onto. After "cleaning up", Goldie peeked her head from inside.

"Come on in! Sorry about the mess!"

The group walked inside and were astonished to see the house entirely cluttered with old and worn items as far as the eye could see. And cats. Lots, and lots, and lots of cats all over the place, on the stairs, shelves, even hanging off of the lamps. There was even a cheetah!

"Somepony loves her cats." Bolin muttered to himself, not wanting to sound rude as he and the others entered the cluttered cottage. Both brothers hit their head against the ceiling in their effort to get in. Dust feel from the old ceiling, making the two sneeze. Applejack then accidentally stepped on a few of horseshoes on the floor.

"Oh, careful now. Those belonged to your great-great-great-great uncle Apple Tart!"

Apple Bloom noticed a gingerbread house on the table next to a cat coat and vase. "Well, whose was this?"

"Well, that was my lunch. A couple of weeks ago." Goldie headed to a stack of books, where two cats scattered. She blew the dust away before picking a single book from the bottom of the pile. Normally, this would have caused it to tumble and fall, but to everyone's surprise, it didn't.

"This here is a complete record of, of our family tree!" Goldie opened the book and began flipping the pages. Pinkie Pie zipped on by, who was previously drawing glasses and a mustache on a mirror to see her funny reflection.

"It's not here, or here, or, or here, or it certainly isn't here, is, is it...? Oh, here it is!" Goldie read the page closely, only to come up with, "…Oh, dear."

"'Oh, dear'? What is it?" Granny asked with concern. The tone in their relative's voice did not sound at all too good.

Pinkie Pie looked at the words on the page, but her growing concern kept her from reading it more clearly, "Am I not an Apple after all?" she asked fearfully, which was a feeling shared by everyone inside.

"Well, that's just it. I don't know. The page is all smudged."

"Let me see that for a second." Mako gently took the book so he could read it for himself.

"Don't worry, Miss Goldie. He's a cop, he's good at finding clue." Bolin said to the elderly pony.

As Mako's eyes scanned the pages, even picking up a magnifying glass from a nearby table to get a better look. After a few moments of intense searching, the firebender looked down at the pink pony with a look or regret.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie. There's no way to know for sure."

Hearing this brought Pinkie's spirit down something fierce. Her mane slowly began to deflate and her eyes appeared hazy, almost as if she would tear up in front of everybody. All this time, she really had her heart set on being an Apple, and now…now it seemed that would never be a reality, or even know they knew for certain.

"I sure am sorry, but I don't think I can help you out after all." said Goldie, placing a hoof on the poor pony's shoulder.

Pinkie Pie sniffed, trying her best to hold her feelings in, "Don't be sorry, it's okay. I'm just a little disappointed that I'll never know for sure if I'm a part of this family."

The two brothers looked down sadly, feeling sympathy for the poor pony. But Applejack only smiled with great confidence. "Well, I know for sure!"

"What do you mean? You can't know!"

"I can know for sure that it doesn't matter what the book says or doesn't say. After all you've been through with us and all you've put up with, it's obvious you're an Apple to the core!"

"Darn tooting'!" Granny Smith said.

"Yes siree!" Apple Bloom agreed.

"It ain't blood that unites us, it's the shared foundation of unconditional love and sacrifice that really ties us all in the end."

Eyes blinked in surprise after hearing Big Mac's profound words. Bolin was especially impressed, "Big Mac, you have a serious way with words."

"Eeyup!"

Mako patted Pinkie on the head. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way here for an unanswered question." said Pinkie Pie.

"Actually, I think it was the best family road trips I've ever been on." he then turned to the rest of the Apples, "That is, if you guys…" he got his answer when the entire Apple clan gathered around him and Pinkie Pie to showcase that they were_ both_ Apples in their eyes. Even though they were not his biological family, for one short little moment, Mako got a first time look at how it was like to be a part of a family like this.

Bolin began tearing up and joined in the hug. "I love you guys!"

Using her tail, Pinkie Pie lifted up the camera once more, "Say 'best family hug ever'!"

"Best family hug ever!" everyone said in happy unison right before the flash of the camera.

(~)

Pinkie smiled happily as she added the latest photo in her scrapbook, decorating it with several buttons and stickers. Today hadn't gone as she had expected, how any of them had expected really. But, in the end, it was all worth it. She got to be a part of a great family. Bolin got a taste of what it was like to be part of a family, and so did Mako. Even if he didn't know he wanted to.

Pinkie placed the book in her bouncy mane before hopping onto the stronger, much sturdier wagon for the group to travel on. "Thanks again for the wagon, Goldie!" Applejack waved, "We'll see you soon!"

"Y'all sure you don't want to take any of these Apple family heirlooms home with you?" Goldie asked…right before several of the items collapsed and landed outside on the ground, releasing the dust.

Everyone turned to Big Mac, seeing if he would make the same mistake twice in overloading the wagon again. Thankfully, the stallion shook his head.

"Nnope."

"It was nice meeting you, Goldie!" Bolin said with a wave as the wagon took off. The family was on the road once more, ready to head back home. "So, what do we do to past the time now?" Bolin asked.

"I think I have an idea." Mako smiled and pulled out the banjo once more.

"Wait, how did you-?"

"Less logic, more singing!" the firebender happily strum on the banjo, playing a familiar tune. The entire family happily sang along.

**All:**

_We're Apples forever, Apples together_

_We're family, but so much more_

_No matter what comes, we will face the weather_

_We're Apples to the core!_

**Big Mac and Bolin: **

"Eeyup!"

(~)

Back on the farm, Bolin and Mako happily munched on a few apple tarts Granny had just made after the long journey back. The firebender opened the purple journal with the elements of harmony imprinted on the cover, handing it to Applejack.

"Twilight agreed this was definitely an experience worth puttin' in the journal." she said, "Think I'll write about how bein' a good family isn't about bein' perfect as much as it is about bein' able to get through the rough patches together."

"And about being able to forgive each other for mistakes." Bolin said, remembering how he wrongly blamed Mako for the whole wheel incident. Mako laughed and ruffle his brothers hair.

"Don't forget to mention how really good friends can also feel like your family." Apple Bloom said as she hugged both Pinkie and Mako.

"Eeyup."

Applejack reached out to grab the quill, only to have her littler sister intervene. "You know what? Maybe I should write it. I'm good at makin' things sound excitin'."

"I have a history of excellent storytelling'." said Granny Smith, "I should probably do it— Hey! Where in the haystack do you think you're goin' with that there pen?!" the elderly pony exclaimed when Big Mac took the quill in his mouth.

Before long, the entire clan was arguing once more. "Look at me! I'm part of the Apple family too!" Pinkie said to the brothers before zipping to the Apples, "I'm arguing! Argue, argue, argue! Bicker, bicker!"

"You want to do something here too?" Bolin asked.

Mako only shook his head, "Nah. They'll work it out. Family always does."

(~)

_Well, as it just goes to show, family isn't always perfect. But, in the end, it's definitely the best gift anyone could receive. _

_It's amazing how Mako went from being hesitant to having a family, to eventually having one of his own._

_Well, that's all for now. Hope to see you next time door another,_

Tales of Equestria!


	15. Maud Pie

_"OW! I think I got the wrong type of rock candy…minus the candy part._

_Hello again my friends! Please excuse the few broken teeth, I was trying out this rock candy Pinkie Pie told me about. Though, I really should have been paying better attention as to which kind of rocks are the editable ones. _

_Speaking of rocks, this reminds me of the time Pinkie's sister Maud came to visit. Boy, was that an awkward family reunion. Maud was…well, why don't I tell you all about it."_

_*(~)*_

**Colossians 3:14~**

"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."

*(~)*

**Maud Pie**

Korra let out a yawn as she and the Mane Six approached Sugar Cube Corner. The young Avatar rubbed her sleepy eyes, which still carried a hint of bangs. She had practically dragged herself out of bed, which she only ever did if it was important, and in this case, she hoped it was that. Her, along with Mako, Bolin and Asami. The four human members of the team were all extremely tired, Mako had to literally drag Bolin off of bed.

"Has anypony heard from Pinkie Pie since yesterday?" Applejack asked the group, sounding more concern and not as sleepy. Being a hard-working country pony she was used to waking up at the crack of dawn. If only the same could be said for Korra.

The rest of the group shook their heads in response to Applejack's question. Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched herself, mirroring Korra's current state. "I don't see what's so important we had to meet her here _this_ early. Celestia hasn't even raised the sun yet!"

The sky itself was a beautiful shade of Twilight, the sky was hued with light purples and faint pinks over the horizon behind the hilltops. This was before during when the royal sisters still had possession over their celestial orbs in the sky, and the oldest sister was taking her time to raise hers due to the time. Both royals had a precise schedule for when they moved the sun and moon, and Celestia was anything if not punctual. Even the animals agreed with Rainbow Dash's statement, one rooster was still snoring.

"If the sun's not up why should I?" Mako said.

"Don't firebenders rise with the sun?" Korra asked him while arching an eyebrow.

"What's your point?"

"I hope everything's okay." Twilight said with concern. It was a tad odd for Pinkie Pie to ask them all to come over at this hour. She was in such a hurry the last time they spoke. The alicorn's nerve grew as she knocked on the door. "Pinkie Pie?" she asked, her voice shaking with concern. Both Twilight and Korra were startled by the sound of a muffled crash inside before the door itself opened to reveal Pinkie PIe, wearing transparent safety googles, like the ones one would use in a science lab, and a chef's hat.

"Thank goodness you're all here! There's no time to lose!" One by one, Pinkie Pie shoved each of her friends inside, without so much as asking permission to do so, the exception being the who simply walked right inside. "So, what's so important you…." Korra loss track of her train of thought upon seeing the assortment of colorful rocks pilled up into individual mountains all around the store.

The Avatar entered the store, only to hear the sound of crushing rocks underneath her boots. "Careful!" Pinkie Pie said as Korra looked down at her boot and shook the pieces of colorful rocks off.

"That is a _whole lot_ of rocks." Bolin said, finally fully awake.

"What is all this?" Asami asked, while Pinkie Pie was strung a bunch of the brightly colorful rocks in a bowl with an eggbeater she held with her mouth. She dropped it in order to speak.

"My sister Maud's gonna be here soon, and I need your help taste-testing my rock candy recipes!"

"Uh, we're happy to help you, Pinkie Pie, but this seems like an awful lot of candy." Applejack said, arching an eyebrow.

"Even for you." Rarity said, agreeing with her friend.

"I may have gone a teensy bit overboard." Pinkie said with a 'slue' smile.

"A bit?" Korra emphasized sarcastically with an amused smile. Only Pinkie Pie would have this much candy for even one occasion. Her thoughts then drifted from the rock candies to the real purpose for them coming here. "Wait, your sister?"

"Yeah, you remember when I told you about her, right?"

"I think so. You started talking about your family one day then you smelled Pema's cooking and the rest is a blur."

"Oh, yeah. Man, that was some good steam buns!" the pony said with a sigh, sticking out her tongue as she licked her lips before rapidly shaking her head. "Can't! Gotta stay focused! Come on!" the pony quickly zipped on over to a pile of rock candies, dug down deep into them like a gofer before popping right out of another pile, opposite the one she was currently in only two seconds ago (typical Pinkie physics) and pulled out a wagon filled with a variety of rock candies.

"Give em a taste and tell me what you think!"

Korra was more than happy to help. Just like her pony friend, the Avatar herself had a bit of a sweet tooth of her own. Not as much Pinkie mind you, but she couldn't turn out either candy or the chance to help out her best friend. Even the rest of the group were happy to help out. Mako, on the other hand was a tad hesitant.

"Uh, I'm not much of a candy rock person-Ow!" he said, only to receive a double elbow to the ribcage curtesy of both Korra and Twilight. Why were the majority of the women he knew were so incredibly strong.

"Do it for Pinkie Pie." Korra said through her teeth, making the firebender groan, "She'd do it for you."

"Fine."

"We'd be more than happy to help, Pinkie." the Avatar said with a kind smile.

Rainbow Dash was the first to take a hooffull of candies, ready to dig in. "Yeah! If it's got sugar, I'm in!"

(~)

After a while, the group of friends were all groaning in exhaustion. They had taken their share of taste testing the rock candy recipes. By this time, the sun was already up and high in the center of the sky, the hands on the clock already pointing to nine in the morning. For most of the ponies, this was their first time eating rock candy, and just like its namesake…it was rather hard to chew on. For Korra, Bolin and Applejack, however, it was a tad easier, being earthbenders and all, they easily broke the pieces into smaller ones for them to chew on, and did so for the rest. Twilight's teeth were most likely the strongest of all, being an alicorn gave her much endurability after all, but for the others it was a tad hard, though the smaller broken parts were easier to chew on. After a while, the candy just became too much for them. Their stomachs were full they couldn't eat anymore. Korra made a mental note to eat a good meal before taste teasing anything with candy.

Pinkie Pie came by pushing the wagon with yet another assortment of candies. "Everypony ready for more?"

"Ugh. My teeth hurt." Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing her full tummy, which had increased in size due to the many candies she had eaten. This was a common occurrence for ponies. If they eat too much their stomachs become bloated for a while before returning back to normal after digestion.

"I think we've had plenty, Pinkie." Korra said while wiping away the traces of candy still around Fluttershy's mouth with her arm warmer. "I'm sure your sister will live them."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be on your way to pick up Maud from the train station?" Bolin said while also wiping away some of the traces of rock candy in his mouth.

"Oh, but you've only tried half of the flavors, and we have to choose the perfect ones before she gets here so I have time to make more!" Pinkie began to frantically take all the candies into her hooves and shoved them into her mouth before lifting up the wagon and dropping the rest of the rock candies into her mouth, chewing them once her cheeks were filled like a chipmunks. In a matter of moments, she ate and swallowed them all.

"Maud is your sister." Twilight said with compassion, "I'm sure she'll love your rock candy. And I'm pretty sure you've made enough. She's only staying for the week."

"Aw, it's not just for Maud, silly. I'm making candy for all of us!" Pinkie said, which only made the rest of the group groan. As nice as the gesture was, they couldn't eat another bite, not even a tiny pebble of a bite.

"It's part of a very important, super-duper special tradition that only the closest and bestest of friends can share." Pinkie continued to described, "We're going to make rock candy necklaces together!" she squealed with much excitement while holding one of the necklaces herself, "It all started when Maud and I were fillies on the rock farm. She taught me the Pie family rock candy recipe! It adds a secret ingredient –" she looked both left and right before whispering, "It's _rocks_!–" she said before speaking normally again, "And she showed me how to string the pieces to make them into a necklace! And once we were done, we'd trade! Maud and I have been trading necklaces back and forth since I moved to Ponyville. They're a sign that we'll always be best friends!"

"Aw, what a great tradition." said Applejack with a smile.

Mako shook his head in disbelief, "Hold on. The secret ingredient is _rocks_?" suddenly, he felt queazier than before.

"Yeah. But these are a special kind of rock that Maud discovered." Pinkie said.

"Oh, what kind of a rock are they?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Can't tell ya that, silly! It's a secret!" she whispered the last word before tapping Fluttershy's head. "Now that Maud is heading out to get her rocktorate in rock science, this may be our last chance to trade them for a really long time. I can't wait for you all to meet her. I just know that my best Ponyville and Republic City friends and my best sister friend are gonna become bestest friends! We can make bestest-est friend rock candy necklaces together!"

One by one, Pinkie began pulling several of her friends into a hug, "She expresses herself through fashion just like Rarity, and she's really smart and loves reading just like Twilight and Asami!" she embraced the two magical ponies and heiress before pulling in Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Korra, Bolin and finally Mako. "And she's honest, and loves forest things, and is good at games, is supper athletic, has an eye for detail and... Well, oh, she's _awesome_!"

"She sounds amazing," Rarity said, while feeling strained within the hug, "but won't she start worrying if you aren't at the train station when she gets here?"

"She sure will…" after a very brief moment of silence, Pinkie PIe gasped, "I gotta get out of here!" using her airbending, Pinkie Pie released herself from the hug, gently blasting everyone off of her and onto various piles of rock candy before galloping straight out of the building, tossing her goggles and chef's hat in the process.

"So, we just wait here or what?" Asami asked as she dusted the pieces of candy off of her skirt and hair.

"No way!" Korra stated with a smile, "Pinkie wants us all to give Maud a warm welcome. So, why don't we invite her to our picnic at the park for our scheduled pet playmate?"

"That's a great idea, Korra!" Twilight said with a smile.

"I agree!" said Rarity, "A picnic by the lake would be the perfect way to welcome Pinkie's relative into our circle of friends."

Bolin jumped upwards, smiling in excitement to be meeting a new friend. However, both Asami and Mako were feeling a tad…out of place. They were not against meeting Pinkie's sister, and by the way she described, Maud must be quite the interesting pony to be around. Still, they didn't express their enthusiasm as openly as the others did. Mako was more than willing to at least meet the pony, even if it were only for a moment, but Asami…

She was still feeling out of place in the group enough as it is.

(~)

By the lake, the group had already neatly prepared the picnic for their new future friend. Tank's gyrocopter buzzed as he raced Applejack's dog Winona across the grassy fields. The day was bright and beautiful just like a picture frame and the pets frolicked and played with one another. Naga splashed in the waters with Pabu swimming beside her while Korra assisted Twilight with arranging the plates and cups.

Asami sat on the corner of the lake, watching the pets play until Angel Bunny hopped on by and rubbed her leg. Asami smiled and petty the rabbits fluffy head, which made her smile. Bolin spotted Asami sitting a fair share of distance away and walked on over, sitting beside her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

The heiress had become more comfortable with sharing her feelings with the charismatic earthbender, and so was far less hesitant to speak to him about her problems. "Yeah. I guess I'm just feeling uncomfortable with meeting Maud."

"Why? She'd going to love you!"

"Why?"

"Because you're awesome! You're smart, pretty, kind and brave. You know, just because you're not with Mako anymore doesn't mean we think any less of you, and neither does he. Him or Korra. You're a part of Team Avatar so that means you're just as much Pinkie's friend as any of us. Don't forget that."

Asami's heart filled with joy upon hearing his words. He was always one she could count on no matter what. He really was a good friend. Loyal to the end.

"Thanks, Bolin."

Meanwhile, Korra noticed Mako standing by a tree, looking at the picnic setting with a frown. But not one of sadness, one of insecurity. Standing up, she approached the firebender. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just…well…"

"You're nervous about meeting Maud, aren't you?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"For me, yes."

"It's just…I'm still getting used to being a part of this family stuff. Plus, I'm not as good at making friends with ponies as you are."

"What are you tailing about? You made friends with the CMC pretty easily."

"Yeah, after I lost them in the city and nearly gave myself a heart attack trying to find them!"

"You're lucky they were smart enough to stay in the park." Korra placed a hand on his shoulder in sympathy, "What about when you went with Applejack and her family to visit Golden Delicious? You had fun, remember."

"Yeah, after we almost drifted out to sea because of me!"

"You were on a lake."

"There was a waterfall, we could have died."

"Waterfalls in Equestria aren't lethal, at least not in this region."

"Still."

Korra chuckled, "My point is, it's okay to feel nervous. But Pinkie's our friend. I think it's sweet she want's to include us into her family. Isn't that what we did for you and Bolin, or what Asami did for you guys after the arena was destroyed?"

A smile appeared on Mako's face along with a faint blush on his cheeks. "Yeah. You make a good point."

"I usually do."

"You had to ruin it, didn't you?"

"I'm kidding!" the two teens laughed while playfully nudging each other before Fluttershy called out.

"Everything's ready!" she said as Korra and Mako walked on over to see the display, and Asami and Bolin approached next, smiling at the scenery. "I sure hope Maud has an appetite."

Applejack placed a basket of muffin onto the blanket, "Never met a pony or critter who didn't love Granny Smith's apple spiced muffins!"

"Oh, apple spiced!" Bolin exclaimed with glee as he reached on over to take on, only to be slapped by Applejack's hoof. "Ow!"

"Bolin, where are your manners? We have to wait until Maud gets here."

"Sorry."

"Oh, it's no use!" the group turned their heads over to Rarity, who walked on over looking terribly irritated and…wearing a big purple hat with pale rocks attacked to it and a ribbon tied underneath her chin. "I simply cannot find anything suitable to wear!" she said after one of the rocks on her hat became unstuck and rolled down into the basket of muffins Applejack had brought.

Bolin and Mako had to try hard to suppress their laughter at the sight of Rarity's new getup. They knew she was a pony who aimed to please, and no doubt she chose this strange choice as her own way to welcome Maud into the group. Since she was a rock farmer and they were to make rock candy necklaces she wanted to look the part. Normally, this wasn't something she would make out of her own free choice, this was her contribute to the visitor's stay.

"I doubt she'll notice what anypony's wearing, so what's the big deal?" Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes.

Naturally, Rarity scoffed, "The big deal is that it will be very difficult to show Maud what a strong fashion presence we have in Ponyville if the most fashion-forward pony here can't keep her hat from falling apart!"

"It's…still a valiant effort on your behalf, Rarity." Korra said, "Trying to make Maud feel at home with your rock-inspired look was very sweet."

The unicorn smiled and blushed, "Awww, only you would understand my vision, Korra."

"I think we're all a little nervous about Maud's visit." Twilight said, "She's Pinkie Pie's sister, and it's obvious Pinkie really wants us to hit it off. Being able to make those rock candy necklaces together is really important to her. I'm sure everything will be fine–"

"We're heeeere!" a familiar happy-go-lucky voice called out from a few feet away from the picnic area. Pinkie Pie waved happily to her friends before creating an air scooter and zoomed on over in a matter of seconds.

Korra looked behind Pinkie, but saw no other signs of another pony being with her. "Where's Maud?" she asked.

"She's coming!" Pinkie said with glee as she turned her head around, her big blue eyes increasing in size as well as her smile. The others looked onwards in the direction from where Pinkie had arrived from, but saw no other pony approaching. Not even the top half of a mane.

"Uh… you sure?" Rainbow asked with uncertainty.

"She's not quite as fast as me." Pinkie said, "I asked Gummy to stay with her in case she got lost!"

After a few more moments, some members of the group squinting their eyes to get a better look, a figure finally emerged from the other side of the hill road. It was indeed a female pony, but she was in no way colored pink like her sister. In fact, they couldn't pinpoint any sight of a bright color at all on her. As she got closer, albeit at her own paste, they saw her mane was a grayish blue violet and her coat was a bluish gray. As she got closer they could see her wearing a plain simple gray blue dress with a black belt around her waist. Her mane was styled downwards and straight with evenly cut bangs over her light turquoise eyes. From behind, they could see Gummy snapping his toothless jaws on her tail. The rest of the group only looked at one another with uncertainty. This new pony was most certainly taking her time. She should have been beside them at this point.

Rainbow Dash flew beside Asami and leaned closer, whispering, "Is she even moving?"

Pinkie Pie jumped up and shouted, "_We're over here, Maud!"_

After what felt like an eternity, Maud finally arrived and faced the group. She did bare a resemblance to Pinkie Pie, aside from the dull coloring and clothing…and the fact she didn't even smile. Needless to say, this was not what they expected Pinkie's sister to look like. At least they didn't have to deal with _two_ Pinkie Pie. As much as they loved her, one was enough.

Maud only blinked, revealing she had long slender eyelashes and light gray purple eyeshadow. She looked down and saw a rock on the ground. She bended her head down and sniffed it.

"Hm. Sedimentary."

Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"This is a sedimentary rock." Maud said, speaking in…deadpan tone. This was definitely a surprise in behalf of the others. For a moment, Korra grew a bit concerned. This pony reminded her a lot of her cousins from the south pole. Her twin cousins, Eska and Desna always creeped her out. They smelled like a grandma's attic and spoke not only in matching deadpan tones, but also freakishly finished each other's thoughts and sentences, were rude and looked beneath anyone who wasn't a royal, even Korra despite being the Avatar, and believed he couldn't understand their sophisticated vocabulary, for which she did. Just because Korra didn't use those words often didn't mean she didn't understand them.

Nonetheless, she couldn't judge Maud in that regards. One of the many things she learned from her pony friends is that you can't judge somebody by their cover. Or the tone in their voice in this case. Besides, Pinkie Pie loved her, and as clueless as she can get, Pinkie was far from stupid. She knew this pony her entire life, so she couldn't be as bad as her cousins. At least, she hoped she wasn't.

"That's… really fascinating." Twilight said in regards to Maud's trivia. "Isn't it, guys?" the princess smiled an approached the pony, "We're just so thrilled you could come for a visit before your big trip. Pinkie Pie has told us so much about you. I'm Twilight, and this is Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. And these are our human friends from Republic City. That's Asami, Bolin, his brother Mako and Avatar Korra."

The four humans waved and smiled at the pony. "It's very nice to meet you Maud." Korra said, placing her hands on her knees and squatting a bit down to the pony's level. "Pinkie Pie tells me you're into rock science, right?"

"Yes." the pony replied, not changing her tone or expression, which remained emotionless and stoic. At least she didn't appear rude. "Pinkie also tells me you can manipulate rocks."

"Yeah. It's called earthbending."

"Can I see it?"

"Oh, well, sure. Of course." using her hand, Korra lifted a rock from the ground along with several others and used them to spell out Maud's initials in her native language. The Avatar smiled hopefully, since the pony didn't appear impressed by the display whatsoever.

"That's amazing." Maud said, her deadpan tone still present and she didn't even crack a smile. All she did was blink. "You're really good."

"Um…thanks. I think."

"I wish I had powers like that."

Pinkie Pie jumped in between, wrapping a hoof around Korra's neck, taking her by surprise. "If you think that's cool, wait until you see her and Bolin in action! They can move an entire boulder up into the air!"

"We're ever so glad to meet you." said Fluttershy.

"We're just gonna have the best time!" said Applejack, being her hospitable country self. But even with their kindness and welcoming demeanor, Maud still remained unfazed. All she did was blink, it was as if this was the only expression she knew how to show. Or have for that matter.

Rarity cleared her throat and approached the pony, "Pinkie Pie tells me you share my love for fashion."

"I'm really into expressing myself through my wardrobe." Maud said.

"A-and what is the delightful frock you're wearing now saying?"

"…It doesn't talk. It's a dress."

Rarity could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she tried to gently walk away to spare the embarrassment, "Oh, yes, of course, I, I just meant, the frock is, just…" she spluttered out.

Both Winona and Naga came barking at the pony, happily panting around her. Naga never acted this happy around Eska and Desna, so maybe Maud wasn't like them after all. Despite the obvious similarities.

"Uh, so this here's Winona and Naga." said Applejack and introduced the pets one by one, "That's Owlowiscious, Tank, Opal, Pabu and Angel." at the mention of his name, Angel popped out of the basket and taking a bite out of a muffin. "Pinkie Pie told us you have a pet, too."

"He's in my pocket." Maud said.

Fluttershy's eyes widened with interest. "Oh, you have a pocket pet? Like a tiny mouse? Or a baby bird? Or a trained butterfly?" she smiled with excitement.

Maud Pie reached into her pocket and pulled out her 'pet' before placing him onto the ground. "It's a rock. His name is Boulder."

Fluttershy was…rather surprised by this reveal. A rock, naturally, wasn't a pet. It wasn't even an animal. But, she didn't want to hurt Maud's feelings so she said nothing in regards to the obvious.

Bolin looked at the pony as if she were from another planet, which she might as well be. Asami shared his thoughts. She simply kept her hands neatly placed on her back, not saying a word. Even Mako, while having met his own share of unusual family members, Maud was by far the strangest. She made the rest of the Apple Family seem normal.

But, of course, Pinkie Pie was oblivious to their reactions and simply smiled. "This is going to be the best, most awesome, funnest week ever! I can't wait for us all to become bestest friends!"

The rest of the group gave a nervous group laugh. They had really stuck themselves into a corner this time. They didn't want to disappoint Pinkie Pie, and maybe Maud just needed some time to come out of her shell. After all, not everybody gets into the sync of things right away, who where they to judge otherwise.

"Well, I hope your hungry!" Bolin said, doing his best to sound enthusiastic as they all gathered around the picnic, ready to eat. The earthbender offered the pony the basket of muffins Applejack had brought. "Applejack brought her granny's famous apple spiced muffins. Try one."

Maud Pie sniffed the basket, which still also contained one of the pale rocks that fell off of Rarity's hat. She opened her mouth to take a bite, completely missing the muffin and taking the rock instead.

"Oh, uh, heh, that's not– Um…"

To him and everyone's surprise, Maud didn't phase at all at chewing actual rock. In fact, she appeared to enjoy it. They thought, they still couldn't tell, the pony was harder to read than a wet page from a book.

"It's crunchy." Maud said while chewing.

Pinkie Pie took a bite from one of the actual muffins and chewed with delight. "Maud's right! They are crunchy! Yum!" she said with her mouth full.

Seeing the two sisters now side by side made their contrasting personalities all the more obvious. Pinkie was loud and hyperactive, always talking and always on the move, while Maud was…anything but. She didn't smile, she didn't speak unless spoken to, she didn't express any emotion other than 'meh', they just didn't understand what they were doing wrong. Did they say something that was offensive? Did they look strange to her? They couldn't tell.

Rainbow Dash broke more of the awkward silence, which happened nearly overtime after Maud spoke because everyone else hardly knew what else to say. "So, uh, Pinkie Pie tells us you like games." said the pegasus.

"Boulder and I sometimes play a game called 'Camouflage'. It's kind of like hide and seek but _way_ more intense."

Another awkward silence before Rainbow said, "Awesome?"

"You guys want to play?"

When nobody else said anything right away, Twilight began clearing her throat to give the others the hint. But when they didn't, Korra gave her two cents and attempted it herself, which came out as if she were coughing because they wouldn't speak.

"Do you need some water, Korra?" Bolin asked, offering her a drink, only to have the Avatar dart her eyes inconspicuously towards Maud, and Bolin finally got the memo. "Oooooooh. Sure, we'd love to!"

(~)

Twilight levitated several more rocks from the ground, still searching for Maud's 'pet'. They had been playing this game of 'Camouflage' for several minutes. The rules were whoever found Boulder first would be the winner. But trying to find a rock in a collection of rocks really was a hassle. It wasn't even fun, but felt more like an impossible chore.

"Any luck?" Twilight asked the others, who were already looking bored enough as it is. Mako had already stopped trying and only sat on the ground tossing a few pebbles around.

"I truly wish I'd spent more time with Boulder, because I'm having a very hard time remembering what he looks like." Fluttershy said right before tossing away the rock she already held on her hoof.

"It's like looking for a pebble in a haystack." said Applejack

"More like in a pile of pebbles." Mako said with deadpan tone, though his carried more emotion than Maud's, his carried a hint of annoyance and impatience.

"Well, you don't have to make it even harder." Korra said as she sat down on the ground.

"Hey, you're the one who got Bolin to say yes!"

"Wait, _that's_ why she was coughing?" Bolin said in realization, "I thought you were chocking on a muffin."

"Subtlety's a foreign language for you, isn't it?" said the Avatar with crossed arms and an arched eyebrow.

"This comin' from the least subtle person we know?" Applejack said, also arching an eyebrow.

Korra opened her mouth to protest, but quickly stopped herself, slowly half clenching her fist and lowered it down. She did make a good point, Korra wasn't always the mosts subtle person in the world. She most certainly wasn't earlier, she was never subtle with her emotions and she most certainly wasn't subtle with her words. Not to mention, she never really did like being subtle. She liked being straightforward and direct.

"Point taken." she finally said through her teeth.

Rarity grunted in annoyance after one more rock fell from her hat, "Ugh! I give up! this is impossible!"

"It'll hurt Maud's feelings if we all stop playing." Twilight said, "Besides, look how much fun Pinkie Pie's having."

Pinkie Pie began popping from place to place, showing her sister an assortment of rocks, each one of a different size and shape, even one big one from the ground for which she lifted up once she popped out from the ground in a matter of seconds. All the while she asked; "Is this him? Is this him? Is this him? Is this him?"

The group had to agree, the pink pony was having a lot of fun, even if her sister's feelings didn't appear mutual to say the least. No matter what they did or said, Maud remained completely unfazed.

Korra sighed. Nothing made her happier than to see Pinkie Pie happy. The Avatar would do anything for these ponies, even lay down her own life if it meant protecting them. She was willing to give up her bending so Twilight would come out unharmed. Even if Amon did double cross them, she still would have done it either way. She loved these ponies and wanted their happiness.

"Twilight's right." the Avatar said, "Just a little bit longer, okay?"

The rest of the group exchanged hesitantly complied and continued searching for Maud's pet. As boring as this was, they would do it for Pinkie Pie. Mako even got up and continued searching for the rock as well, standing beside Korra as he did. Though, this was done on purpose.

"You really want Pinkie to be happy, don't you?" he said softly, keeping the conversation mostly between the two of them.

"I'd give anything for these ponies, you know that." Korra replied as she searched for the rock, still feeling Mako's gaze upon her. From the corner of her eye she could see him smile.

"Yeah. I do." he said before continuing his search. Korra had not intended for them to have a moment just now, she was only being honest, which was one of her known character traits, still she wasn't entirely complaining. She always liked seeing this side of Mako. There was no denying he could be stoic and hard to come out of his shell at times, but deep down there was a good heart, even if it was shown in small ways. She may not be such a master at subtlety, but sometimes neither was he. At least, not to her.

"Found him." said a deadpan voice, causing all heads to jerk upwards and look at the dull colored pony holding Boulder in her hoof.

"Oh! Where was he?" Pinkie asked with a smile.

"He was hiding in my pocket."

Asami's eyes were frozen wide as she dropped the rock she was holding in her hand and Rainbow Dash exclaimed in annoyance, "Oh, _come on_!"

Bolin then felt Pabu crawl up to his shoulder and tapped his master's cheek with his little red paw. Bolin looked to his left seeing all of their pets in a row, laying on the ground and looking at their masters with tired eyes, the same eyes Pabu carried as well. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we really should get these guys home." Bolin said as he held Pabu in his arms, allowing to rest in them like a bed'

"Bolin's right." Fluttershy said politely, "It's getting awfully late, and they've had a very busy day."

"Maud and I had better get going too." said Pinkie Pie while Gummy climbed up on her sister's head, for which her response remained deadpan. "I want her to taste the rock candy we're gonna use for our _best friends necklaces_! Aw, yeah!"

The two Pie sisters walked away from the group, leaving the others to finally breath out a sigh of relief. They never felt this tired after spending time with a pony that, quite literally, hardly did anything. Trying to make a good impression was emotionally exhausting enough.

"Well, she's very… different from what I expected." Asami said, scratching the back of her neck with uncertainty.

"We spent all day digging in the dirt, and he was in her pocket the whole time?!" Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered over them.

"On the bright side, Boulder seemed really sweet." Fluttershy said, which made Rainbow want to pull her mane out.

"He's a _rock_!"

"Come on, guys. I'm sure Maud was just nervous about meeting all of us." Twilight said, trying to maintain the peace between the group.

"Maybe she was just acting a little 'off' because she was shy or somethin'." Applejack said.

"Exactly. It must be awfully intimidating to meet all of us at once, especially since we're already such good friends."

It was then that Korra got an idea. "Maybe if we spend some time with her one-on-one to try to get to know her better. That way she'll feel more comfortable."

Bolin then got an idea, "Oh, we can take her to see my next pro-bending match! She'll get a kick out of seeing earthbenders in action! I think. I hope. Maybe."

"I think it's a great idea." said Twilight. "I'm sure we'll be making those best friend rock candy necklaces in no time."

(~)

And so, the group of friend set their plan into motion. They would each take turns in spending time with Maud Pie. Rarity was the first to volunteer, wanting to make up for not being able to showcase her talents and share them with Pinkie's sister. She was hoping she could make the pony something nice to wear. Not that her outfit wasn't…nice, but maybe splash of color could give it a little boost.

"Where shall we start?" Rarity said as she showcased the two Pie sisters her shelves of fabric choices. "I've chosen a few fabrics that I think will be stunning with y–" the unicorn stopped on her tracks when Maud had her dull eyes set on something on the table, not even looking at her brightly colorful fabrics.

Pinkie Pie hoped on by before stopping beside her sister. "Choices, choices, choices!"

Rarity really didn't want to ruin this and offend Maud, so she tried to make the most out of the situation. After all, her natural element was water, which was the element of change, she should be able to handle this. "…Of course, if you don't see anything that speaks to you, I would be happy to suggest–"

"I like this one." Maud showed Rarity the gray colored towel she was looking at just now, which was stained with splashes of brown, indicating it had not been washed.

Rarity gave a laugh, "Pinkie Pie didn't tell us you were so funny!"

Maud Pie blinked before asking, "What do you mean?"

Rarity's eyes slightly widened, realizing the pony wasn't kidding and was actually being serious. "Oh, well, it's just... I believe that is a dishtowel." she said as she levitated the said dish towel with her magic. Maud remained completely unfazed upon her reply, but upon seeing Pinkie Pie's smiling face the unicorn attempted to reconcile the situation. "B-b-but it does go very well with your complexion. I'm sure I could work my magic and turn it into something fabulous."

"Rarity and my sister working together to design something amazing! This is the best day ever!" Pinkie squealed happily as she hugged Maud, who still remained as deadpan as ever.

Rarity levitated a few more options aside from the dish towel. She picked up a few other pieces of fabric, some with several patterns that looked like splashes of a deeper color in order to hide the dirt of the rag. She could clearly see that Maud was a pony who liked things simple, but she didn't want the pony to wear a dirty rag. It just wound't be right. "Perhaps I could sew all of these together and make you something you'd like."

"No thanks. One is enough." Maud took the dish towel and placed it around her neck like a scarf. The gray color did suit well with the rest of her appearance, but the dirt on it…it was just too hard for Rarity to ignore.

"Doesn't Maud make the _coolest_ scarves?" Pinkie said, looking as excited as always. Which really wasn't helping Rarity right now. She had suppress her disappointment by complying.

"Quite…"

(~)

Rarity had failed in trying to get through to Maud. The pony just wouldn't respond positively at all. Fluttershy tried her crack at it by inviting the sisters on a nature hike through the woods, with Angel bunny beside them as well. A green colored hummingbird flew by the yellow pegasus, twittering happily.

"Hello there, Hummingway." the pony greeted him, "I'm ever so happy to see you."

"What's he saying?" Pinkie asked.

"He says hello, and he's happy to see us too."

"I wish I could speak hummingbird. Humm! Hum-m-m-m-m, hum!"

Fluttershy saw Maid looking down at a nearby rock, from which a spider was crawling on top of. The pegasus approached the pony, smiling sweetly in hopes of gaining her friendship. She looked down at the spider, not showing any signs of fear. After all, animals were Fluttershy's specialty.

"These spiders only live in Ponyville, and even though they may look a teeny bit scary, they're actually very sweet and help keep other, more dangerous insects away!" as Fluttershy explained, the little spider actually gave her a small flower. He really was a sweetheart.

"I was looking at the rock." Maud said before walking ahead, leaving Fluttershy to blush in embarrassment.

"Oh."

(~)

After the hike was over, Pinkie PIe waved happily waved goodbye as she and aAud headed back home. "Thanks again, Fluttershy! Start thinking about which flavors you want to put on your best friend rock candy necklace!" the pink pony galloped her front hooves happily before she and her sister disappeared from view.

"Oh gosh. I'm not sure we're even friends yet." Fluttershy said to Angel Bunny. They had spent all day together and Fluttershy tried her best to be as kind and friendly as she could but also not so pushy. Still, Maud just didn't respond. She didn't even looked like she was having fun but only said things just to be polite.

"I sure hope Twilight has better luck."

(~)

The following day Twilight took her turn in spending the day with Maud. Pinkie Pie slide on the rolling stair ladder of the Golden Oak Library, "Maud is a total bookworm. She loves poetry!"

"I've got lots of poetry." Twilight said as she levitated said books. "Do you read anything by Quilland Ink? Or Flourish Prose?"

"Who's this?" Maud asked after finding something within the books from which she was looking into. The piece of paper was really a photograph, mainly of a straight line of the royal Canterlot Royal guards, the new recruits. It was that one time the princesses were to attend the ceremony where the new guards would be introduced. Photographs were taken, ones of Twilight with the princess and her brother, and one in particular she might have kept for…other reasons.

The picture was circled surrounded a certain yellow and orange pegasus stallion who stood tall and proud with his shinning golden armor and his helmet off, revealing his spiky blue hair.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"_What?!_" Twilight quickly dropped the books she was levitating and snatched the photo away from Maud and hid it away, trying to dismiss her question while her face flustered with red. "So, anyway, about poetry!"

"I prefer to read my own poetry." Maud replied.

"Oh, I'd love to hear some of it!" she said with interest. Poetry was one of the many ways for one to express themselves, next to music that is.

Maud cleared throat before she began. As always, her voice remained deadpan.

"_Rock._

_You are a rock._

_Gray._

_You are gray._

_Like a rock._

_Which you are._

_Rock."_

Twilight blinked without saying a word. What more could she say? The poem wasn't really bad but it…well, it really didn't have much going for it. Pinkie Pie, on the other hands, appeared to love it for she clapped her hooves as she slide back and forth on the ladder.

"I've written thousands."

"She's so prolific!" said Pinkie Pie as she slide on by once more.

"This next one is about rocks. They're all about rocks."

Twilight bit her bottom lip, silencing herself for Maud to say more of her poetry. If she could even call it that.

_"Rocks; these are my rocks._

_Sediments: make me sedimental._

_Smooth and round, asleep in the ground._

_Shades of brown and gray…"_

This was going to be a long day.

(~)

Pinkie Pie speeded around a tree, gusts of air streaming behind her as she zoomed quickly around the tree, picking an apple from the branches before speeding back into the farmhouse. Her airbending made Pinkie Pie even faster than she ever was before. The pink pony placed the apple on the table alongside various others, both green and bright shinny red. Applejack was stirring the pot with the spoon in her mouth. She lowered the spoon down and approached the older Pie sister.

"You 'bout done peelin' them apples for the cider, Maud?" Applejack asked as she approached.

"I think this one is done." Maud replied. She moved aside and revealed to Applejack her work. The country pony cringed at the sight of an apple completely splattered on the table, and a large rock resting over the remains. Maud didn't even use the peeler for the apple, no she down upright smashed the thing with a rock. The sight of it really made Applejack's skin scrawl. WHo knew Maud could be so…well, she couldn't think of a nicer way of describing it.

"Oh, uh, yep. That's a very interestin' method you got there." she nervously laughed as she walked backwards back to the stove.

"Should I peel another?" Maud asked as she lifted up the rock and hovered it over another beautiful apple.

"No! I mean, nah. I'm sure there's plenty apples in it already."

Pinkie Pie sniffed the steaming cider, while sitting onto of the stove. "Can we taste it now?"

"Sure, why not?"

Using a ladle, Applejack poured the cider into wooden cups for the girls. Pinkie Pie placed her entire mouth onto the hole and started chunking the cider down her throat while Maud took her time to stir the liquids by moving her cup. Once Pinkie was done, which only took like three seconds at best, she wiped away the remaining liquids from her mouth with her hoof and smiled.

"Wow! That's the best apple cider I've ever had!"

"What do you think, Maud?" Applejack asked. She knew nopony could resist her home made apple cider. She just hoped she didn't go as crazy as Asami did that last time. Maud took a single sip, her deadpan expression unchanging. She paused before replying;

"It tastes like apples."

"Told you she was super honest, just like you!" Pinkie PIe said with delight as she hugged Applejack, their cheeks colliding.

Applejack gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah. We're practically twins, heh." normally, Applejack wouldn't lie, and when she did she was terrible at it. Today was no exception.

(~)

Rainbow Dash smiled with great pride at seeing the rock fly right over the lake. She, Pinkie and Maud were playing a game to see who could throw the farthest. So far, Rainbow Dash was winning, but she also reminded herself to go easy on Maud, seeing she wanted her to feel at home.

"Yeah! Let's see you beat _that_!" Rainbow said, only to quickly back away when a rock came flying past her. "Whooaa!" she watched the rock Maud had just thrown fly not only over the lake, but all the way towards the mountains far off, several miles away from the lake itself. Rainbow's eyes widened in awe upon seeing such strength. Once the rock landed, an explosion was heard in the distance, followed by the formation of a gray mushroom cloud. The impact also caused a powerful gust of wind that blew towards them, causing the waters of the lake to rise up in the form of a little tsunami which swiped up the girls and a couple of trees on the process.

Once the waters had settled, Pinkie emerged, her mane soaked an wet, while ridding on a log, which she began rolling with her hooves, cheering happily. "_That was amazing!"_

Rainbow Dash popped her head out of the water, spitting some of the liquids out of her mouth before turning her head over to Maud, who was just as wet as the two other ponies, but her deadpan expression didn't move a muscle. "Whoa. How'd you do that?"

"I threw it." Maud replied, her mane, tail and dress dripping wet.

"I guess you won this one, Maud." Rainbow said, though she tried to hide the stinging disappointment that came with the confession.

"I'm not really into... 'winning'." Maud said. This made Rainbow Dash gasp in shock. How can anypony _not_ like winning?

(~)

Korra was so sure Maud would have some reaction to the roaring crowd of the pro-bending arena, but so far she didn't even show the slightest bit of interest. The Avatar was half tempted to address the issue, but with Pinkie Pie here she couldn't even get herself to even consider it. She really didn't want to hurt her friend.

Speaking of Pinkie Pie, the pony couldn't contain herself. She was jumping excitedly, overlooking the arena down bellow from their special VIP seats. "Thanks for getting us these great seats, Asami!" Pinkie said with a squee.

Mako, Asami and Korra had invited the pony to see Bolin and his new team compete in a match. They all agreed to go last, hoping Maud's personal time with each pony would make her feel more comfortable around the humans. Asami played with a strand of her hair while Mako just sat straight with his arms crossed and Korra fiddled with her fingers on her lap. Neither one unsure on what to say next. Korra amped up the courage to speak first.

"So, Maud, are you having fun?" she asked, already mentally slapping herself. What kind of silly, desperate question was that?

The deadpan pony kept her eyes locked on the match bellow, primarily the earthbending. Her turquoise eyes were locked on both Bolin and his earthbending opponent. "It's amazing how they can control earth like that." she said, still speaking in her deadpan tone. The three teens looked at one another with uncertainty. That did sound like a compliment…right?

However, as for the match itself, Bolin wasn't doing so good. His new teammates were…well, still pretty new at the game. They placed Korra's debut to shame. At least she managed to recollect herself in time, but these guys were hopeless. Bolin was the only one carrying the game, amazingly, being able to knock down his earthbending opponent, which in turn knocked down the waterbender, leaving behind only the firebender, whom Bolin also knocked down with a single earth disk to the stomach. The Fire Ferrets, through good luck, had won the game.

The three humans and Pinkie Pie rose from their seats, cheering loudly for their friend. Maud, on the other hand, remained unfazed.

"What did you think Maud?" Mako asked, a big proud smile on his face, "Pretty cool, right?"

"Are the earth disks they use made of fine grained or medium grained?" Maud asked, "It's hard to tell from up here."

Korra and Mako looked at one another, being former pro-bending stars they should know, but neither of them had an answer. "Um….we're not sure." Mako replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess I could ask Bolin."

"My best guess is fine grained."

Korra cleared her throat, "Okay, so what did you think about the actual game? Pretty epic, right?"

"The game was good. Thanks for inviting me."

"I've never seen Maud so excited about anything this much since her last rock convention!" Pinkie said, making the three teens chuckle nervously, with Mako scratching his neck, Asami pulling her hair and Korra rubbing her arm. Pinkie did say Maud was happy…but she didn't look happy.

(~)

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow!" Bolin straightened is back as he walked beside his brother. "Wow, last night's game really took a lot out of me."

"Probably because you were carrying the weight of your team." Mako replied, "No offense but you probably shoal consider finding better teammates, bro."

"Oh, come on, Mako! They're just a little rough around the edges is all. Besides, we still won in the end."

"Probably the only win one of us have managed to gain this week." Rarity said. She and the rest of the team had gathered outside of Sugar Cube Corner to discuss with Pinkie Pie about her sister.

"We've tried everything we could to be friends with Maud, but I don't think she even likes us." Fluttershy said, her ears lowering in sadness. "Do you think we accidentally hurt her feelings?"

"Depends, does she even have feelings?" Mako said, right before earning another elbow to the stomach by Korra.

"Mako!"

"What? The only emotions we've seen from her are bored, miserable, doesn't care, and practically dead!"

"He's got a point." Rainbow Dash said, making Korra sigh in dismay. Just then, the door of the building opened and Pinkie Pie stepped outside.

"Great, you're all here! Maud is out looking for rocks, so this is the perfect time for us to set up everything we'll need to make our best friend rock candy necklaces!"

Pinkie Pie looked so happy and excited, twiddling her hooves and her big blue eyes sparkling like pretty sky-blue diamonds. It made the group feel even worse knowing they couldn't share that same feeling. Even Mako placed aside his assumptions about the gray pony upon seeing how excited Pinkie was. None of them could even look at Pinkie in the eye, instead looking at each other or down to the ground in dismay and uncertainty. Pinkie's smile faded, her hooves stopped twiddling as she looked at them all with concern and worry.

"What's wrong?" her eyes darted up at Korra, she could sense she was troubled. She was hiding something, she could tell. "Korra?"

The Avatar couldn't even open her mouth to speak. She was hoping somebody or somepony else would speak up first. When all eyes fell on her, she knew she was the one who had to deliver the bad news. No matter how much she hatted it.

"Pinkie, honey, the truth is…well, I'm not sure it's the best time to make best friend rock candy necklaces."

"Why not?"

"Uh…"

"Well, darling, you see…" Rarity began, but then hesitated, silencing herself and so Fluttershy continued for her.

"You're ever so thoughtful to share your special bonding ritual with us, but, uh…"

"But what?" Pinkie asked.

Mako sighed and decided to bring down the hammer. "Pinkie, the truth is we…" he tried to find the right words to say, but the moment he looked into those big innocent blue eyes he just couldn't. "We…we….Applejack, you tell her." he shoved the country pony forward, making her glare at him in annoyance before turning back to Pinkie Pie. She was the Element of Honesty, now it was time to show it.

"What Mako is saying is that, we've all been tryin' real hard to get closer to Maud, but, well... maybe some ponies just don't click the way others do."

Korra squatted down to her friend's level. "We know you love your sister, and we really do feel touched you want us to be a part of your bond but…we just wouldn't feel right making something that means we're best friends if, well, we aren't."

Pinkie's puffy curly pink mane started to deflate, which often happened whenever she was feeling deeply depressed or hurt. She felt a grave sting in her heart, a sting Korra herself could feel as well. She immediately regretted saying those words. How could she hurt the poor pony like that?

Pinkie looked up, forcing a sweet smile to mask her breaking heart and stepped away from the others, stepping deeper inside the building. "Oh. Okay. If anypony needs me, I'll be in here trying to figure out what to do with two hundred pounds of rock candy." she grabbed the door knob with her mouth and closed the door.

Korra placed her hands over her heart, still feeling the sting she had brought upon the pony. The others felt just as awful, even the Mane Six could tell how terrible Pinkie felt by looking at Korra, who wiped away a few of the tears that escaped her eye.

They wanted to set things right by being honest, but instead they only made things worse.

(~)

"I can't believe we just did that." Korra said in dismay, hugging her legs as she sat on the floor of the Golden Oak Library. "We really hurt Pinkie Pie."

"I feel awful! Just awful…" Rarity said sadly as she paced inside the library.

"Maybe we should have just pretended we were friends with Maud." Bolin said, leaning his back against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"If we didn't tell Pinkie Pie that we hadn't all become the best of friends, I think Maud would have." Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash rested on a shelf, playing with a rock, "Maybe, but who really knows? That pony is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an igneous."

"Don't you mean "inside an _enigma_"?" Mako said.

"Nope. I mean _igneous_. It's a kind of rock. Ask me how I know _that_."

"It doesn't matter!" Korra spoke up, her voice slowly starting to rise. "This visit meant the world to Pinkie, and now we ruined it." the Avatar buried her head into her arms and Mako sat down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Technically, you were the one who brought down the hammer." Bolin said, only to receive various angry glares from the rest of the group. "You know what, I'll just stop talking now."

A knock on the door was heard and Twilight opened it, using her magic. To everybody's surprise, Pinkie Pie came hopping in, seemingly back as her happy go lucky self.

"I've come up with just the thing to bring everybody closer together!"

(~)

Curious to what it was she was talking about, the group followed their now more excitable friend to a clearing near the forest, where Maud Pie was waiting patiently. Once they arrived, the entire group were both intrigued and confused as to what they were seeing. It appeared to be some form of obstacle course complete with hoops, tightropes tied to the end of a long sliding tube that was sustained by a wooden ladder. A small pool was placed after the single hoop. An elevated tower-like structure with a transparent pink dome over it and a spiraled slide tube with several stacks of books at the end followed by a couple of go-carts. Another tube stood at the starting line, also with a ladder, the interior was apparently filled with some kind of splattered substance where at the end of the tube was a small crater filled with sparkly fabric. As the finishing touch there stood an incredibly tall rock hill with one boulder which appeared to serve as the top piece of the hill. Everybody else, minus Maud, had their mouths hung open and their eyebrows arched in confusion, while Pinkie Pie stood before them, proudly showcasing her work.

"I call it "Pinkie-Rainbow-Rari-Twi-Apple-Flutter-Ma-Korra-Bo-Sami-Maud Fun Time"!"

"Huh?" Rainbow asked, speaking for everybody.

"It combines everybody's interests into one giant activity that we can all enjoy together and that will totally bring all of my bestest friends together as bestestest friends!" Pinkie was now standing beside several mannequins, each wearing a variety of helmets, hats, glasses and so called "protection" like bubble rap, pillows and buckets as helmets. "You'll need these."

Mako blinked, "Like Rainbow said: Huh?"

"Probably better for me to show you." Pinkie Pie placed on a snorkel over a helmet and knee pads for her legs and began demonstrating her obstacle course by going into the first tube, filled with the splattered substance. "Watch this! Applesauce tunnel for Applejack…" she slid down the tube, tunneling through the apple sauce until landing on the crater filled with the sparkly fabrics, "Pretty shiny stuff for Rarity…" she then leaped out and galloped ahead, colliding with a pile of books, "Reading material for Twilight…" next, she drove a go-cart to the next activity, "Car racing for Asami…" she then sat on a table player poker with a few animals, "Critter time for Fluttershy…" next, she then popped out from the swimming pool, which had two torches of fire beside it, along with a stack of earth disks and a excise mat, painted to look like the pro-bending arena, "Bending battles for Korra, Mako and Bolin…" she went into the pink dome, pressed a button starting the inside fan, which caused a few cupcakes to float all around her. "Cupcakes for yours truly…" she said, taking a bite out of one of the cupcakes, and then began walking on the tightrope, "And it's a race for Rainbow Dash!"

"Pinkie Pie, what is _that_?!" Twilight pointed to the rock hill, which still had the ginormous boulder on top. It looked awfully unstable.

"A rock slide, of course! For Maud! First you climb, then you slide!" Pinkie said and began hopping along the hilltop.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Bolin said, his shoulder rising and his hands clenching close to his chest as he nervously watched the pony jump from rock to rock, each one falling from its place.

"Pinkie Pie, that's not stable!" Korra exclaimed, her tone came out sounding incredibly authoritative, "Get down from there right now!"

"Don't' worry, Korra!" the pony replied, keeping her eyes up on the very tip of the hill, "The rocks are perfectly-Ow!"

"Pinkie!"

In all of her excitement, Pinkie Pie's front hoof hit against a rock, which then fell from its place, landing on her lower back hoof, trapping it against the other rocks. In her struggle to break free, the hill itself began to shake as more rocks began to roll out of tier respected places, and another rock came rolling at top speed and hit Pinkie's front hoof, also trapping it. Now she had one back hoof trapped and another front hoof trapped as well.

"Oh, goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed as the hill continued to shake and more and more rocks began to fall, the hill itself lost its balance and began to crumble. The gigantic boulder at the top began to slide down….directly at Pinkie Pie, who still couldn't break free or use her airbending to blast herself out of there due to her hooves not only being stuck, but also being shaved by the hardness of the rocks, she could already feel blood coming out as she strained to break free.

"_Help!_"

Acting fast, Korra and Bolin rushed over to save their friend, but they weren't the only ones. A blur of gray, purple and blue zoomed past them, moving all across the obstacle course while wearing a bicker's helmet. It was Maud Pie herself. For the first time, she no longer wore her usual deadpan expression, but instead carried a look of pure determination. She was faster than the two humans, who were both shocked to see her zoom so quickly by them. Maud came leaping forward to the gigantic boulder and, to the amazement of everyone, began hitting against the rock with her hooves, breaking the gigantic rock into tinny pieces. The rest of the group watched in awe upon seeing this incredibly emotionless pony leap into action and break a boulder at the speed of a cheetah. But, they were not completely out of danger. The rocks beneath Maud began to crumble and both Bolin and Asami used their bending to stable the hilltop before it could harm anyone else. The rocks were hard enough to crack a skull, it was amazing Maud could break one with such ease.

Maud began to slip, but Korra quickly earthbender a rock beneath the pony, stabling her and allowing her to break the rocks that had trapped Pinkie Pie. The two humans grunted as they managed to stable the hilltop just as it was before, only without the giant boulder. Maud took the injured Pinkie Pie onto the rock Korra had levitated for them and gently lowered them down to safety.

The rest of the group immediately sighed in relief. Pinkie was safe and so was Maud. However, both Mako and Rainbow Dash were beyond baffled by this new revelation. "What– how– _what_?!" they both exclaimed, unable to fully explain what had just happened.

"Pinkie!" Korra immediately rushed to the pony, wrapping her in a tight embrace and inspecting her hooves, which were still bleeding. "Don't worry, you're going to be alright."

Maud then wrapped her hoof around her little sister, hugging her tightly, relieved to see she was still alive. Injured, but nothing too serious. She had gained a few rock cuts herself so she knew her sister could handle them as well. She would rather have Pinkie gain a few cuts than a million crushed bones.

"Pinkie Pie, what were you thinking?" Maud said, her voice sounding incredibly concerned, nothing like her usual deadpan tone. This was the first time the pony displayed any actual emotion, and all it took was seeing her little sister in danger.

"Maud's right." Korra said, "What were you thinking?"

Pinkie Pie hung her head in shame, "I guess I wasn't."

Korra began bending the water from the pool and started healing Pinkie's hooves. The waters glowing brightly as Maud watched the human heal her sister's cuts. "Thank you." she said.

"Me? We should be thanking _you_." Korra replied, "What you did to that boulder was incredible!"

"Yes, but if you hadn't balanced the hill I would have fallen. So thank you. I'm glad there is someone who can watch over Pinkie Pie when I'm not around."

Korra was beyond speechless. That was the first, genuinely nice, not so deadpan, thing Maud had ever said to her. They may not have had that much in common, but they both deeply loved Pinkie Pie. Or maybe, they did have something in common after all.

Once Korra was done healing, Pinkie's cuts were dried up and she could walk easily with them. They would disappear in time, but at least she could still move. Korra removed Pinkie's helmet and snorkel, allowing for Maud to touch her younger sister's chin with her hoof. "I know how important it is to you that _your_ friends become _my_ friends, but I just don't think it's going to happen. I think it would be best if I just go back to the rock farm and spend the rest of the week there."

"You don't have to." Bolin said rather sadly as the rest of the group approached, agreeing with his notion. Maud didn't have to leave. They now knew they had misjudged her and wanted to start over. Sadly, Maud had made up her mind. Just like a rock, she was strong.

"It was nice to meet you all. Makes me happy knowing Pinkie Pie has such good friends." Maud gave them all a grateful nod before leaving. Pinkie Pie's heart broke once again as she observe her big sister leave so early before they could do their sisterly ritual again.

"But… we never even got to make our rock candy necklaces... Wait, Maud! I'll come with you!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she galloped off after Maud, leaving the others behind.

"I can't believe Maud cut her trip short." Twilight said sadly.

"I can't believe we nearly lost Pinkie Pie to that ridiculous obstacle course." Rarity said, still feeling shaken from the experience.

"Thank goodness Maud was able to reach her in time." Fluttershy said in relief.

"I'll say!" said Rainbow Dash, "Did you see how fast Maud moved?"

"She moved faster than me and Korra!" Bolin said, still amazed by what he had witnessed the pony do. "And the way she smashed that huge rock into dust? I mean, how in Equestria did she do _that_?"

"Pinkie Pie was in trouble." Korra said, "Maud would move mountains for her if she had to. I would do the same for you girls."

"And I would have done the same for Bolin." Mako said, making his younger brother smile.

It was then, Twilight Sparkle had an epiphany, "That's it! I think I finally realized what we all have in common with Maud! Something that just might be worthy of a very important super-duper special tradition that only the closest and bestest of friends can share!"

(~)

Pinkie Pie traced her good hoof over her cuts. She realized now how foolish she had been to try and force everybody to become fast friends. She loved Maud with all of her heart, but she also should have remembered Maud was not as easily sociable as Pinkie Pie. Deep down, Maud was kind and loving, she just had her own way of expressing it. She didn't want to let her go alone, or to cut the time spent with her short, so she went with her on the train. Besides, she didn't know if she could face her friends after what happened.

"Thank you for coming with me." Maud said, her voice reverting back to its deadpan tone as she petted Boulder, "I don't know how long I'll be gone on my rock research trip. I'm glad I still get to spend some time with you before I go."

"Me too. I'm sorry I put so much pressure on everybody to bond. I only wanted my friends to get to know my amazing older sister." Pinkie said before hugging her sister. "Besides, who knows how angry they must be with me for scarring them like that.

"Don't feel bad." Maud said, "Your friends love you just as much as I do."

"I know."

(~)

After a while, the sisters arrived at their family's rock farm, which as the name suggested, was filled with rocks. The area appeared more like a barren wasteland with very few leaves on the trees. It didn't appear like the ideal place for Pinkie PIe to have been born and raised in, but she was, and she still loved it despite its dreary appearance. Maud suddenly stopped Pinkie in her tracks and pointed her hoof forward. The pink pony's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing all of her friends standing before them, with several bags filled with rock candy.

"What are you all doing here?" Pinkie asked.

"Pinkie Pie, we're so sorry we hurt your feelings by not bonding with Maud right away. And Maud, we're sorry that you felt the only way to spare Pinkie Pie's feelings was to leave Ponyville early."

"And we're sorry we thought you were just a walking pile of blood with no real feelings whatsoev-Omph!" Bolin was nearly out of oxygen once both Korra and Mako elbowed him in the stomach. "I deserve that!"

"But we've seen how much you care about Pinkie Pie firsthoof." Mako said, catching Korra and the rest of the ponies by surprise. "What?"

"Did you just use a horse pun?" Korra asked in amusement, making him blush. He didn't even realize he said it until it was addressed. The Avatar only giggled before addressing back to Maud. "Anyway. Pinkie Pie's happiness means as much to us as it does to you, and we're sorry we couldn't see it sooner. The thing that makes us click and creates a special bond between us is how much we all love Pinkie Pie!"

The notion itself made the pink pony blush. "Aw, shucks!"

"That's a pretty great thing to have in common, if you ask me." Twilight said with a smile, "What do you think, Maud?"

Maud was silent before replying, "Sure."

Once again, the rest of the group felt the same uncertainty as they all did before during their time with Maud.

"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked.

"Sorry, darling. I think we all just thought she'd be a bit more excited about this." Rarity said.

"Are you kidding me? I've never seen her more excited in my entire life!" Pinkie said smiled widely and began doing summersaults, followed by a victory dance and finally throwing confetti everywhere.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't show my enthusiasm for things quite in the same way my sister does." Maud explained. Suddenly, all of her dull responses, dull reactions and overall dull demeanor…somehow made perfect sense now. She was different. But, it wasn't so bad.

"Uh, we noticed." Rainbow Dash said, "And we're totally cool with it."

Bolin struggled to lift up one bag of the rock candied before flinging it over hid back. "Okay, so who's ready to make those rock candy best friend necklaces? Because I am!"

(~)

The whole group spent the rest of the weekend with Maud and Pinkie, making the rock candy necklaces. They were actually a lot of fun, and being a part of Pinkie and Maud's tradition made them feel like they were a part of something. Even Mako and Asami felt more at home with the ponies and the group day by day. However, deep down a side of Asami was still struggling, but seeing Bolin laugh with the ponies in eating more than actually making the necklaces, she remembered what he had said to her before about being a part of the team. Maybe, one day, she would feel like she was and no longer feel as if she were only a spare.

The train stopped and Maud Pie prepared to leave. Each friend had their own self made candy necklaces, personalized and made special just for her to remember them by.

"Maud, we'd like to give you something to take on your trip, so that you remember all your new friends." Twilight said as she levitated her necklace and placed it around Maud's neck. One by one, the ponies placed the necklaces around their new friend's neck, with the humans being last. Applejack's was designed with apple symbols (naturally), Fluttershy's with flowers, Rarity like an elegant princess necklace, Rainbow Dash with a lightning bolt, Bolin with a few rocks, he wasn't that good at it but it was the thought that counts. Mako's was mostly simple with reds, oranges and yellows, and Korra's was made with pink and gray stones, representing Maud and Pinkie themselves. It was definitely Maud's favorite.

"Thank you." Maud said, but despite her deadpan tone, they knew she was being sincere.

"Try not to eat all the candy before you leave!" Pinkie said as she and her sister exchanged the necklaces they made for one another. Pinkie held hers on the curved top of her mane and began licking the rock candies.

Maud then pulled out a box from her saddle bag and placed her the necklace Pinkie had given her into it…which was already filled with many other rock candy necklaces that Pinkie had given her over the years. Twilight, Korra and Mako were surprised to see this.

"Are those all the necklaces Pinkie Pie sent you?" Twilight asked, looking at the pony on confusion, who then nodded.

"Mm-hm."

"You mean you haven't eaten _any_ of them?" Korra asked in surprise.

"I don't really like candy." Maud said…right before smiling sweetly as they watched the happy pink pony devour the very last rock on the necklace in mere seconds. "But I do love Pinkie Pie."

Korra, Mako and Twilight could only laugh. Maud certainly had her own way of showing she cared, and by the end of the day, she really wasn't such a bad pony. Mako stopped laughing once he realized both Twilight and Korra placed a couple of necklaces around his neck also, followed by Bolin who placed one around his neck two, one with a green and red stone to represent them both. In all honesty, Mako wasn't that big of a fan of jewelry, especially the kind made out of candy.

But, he most certainly loved the one who made them for him.

(~)

_"In the end, it really didn't matter their likes or dislikes, because when it came right to it, they were all family. A mutual love for one thing can bring so many different folks together. _

_Tune in next time for another segment of_

Tales of Equestria!"

(bites on rock candy)

_YEOWCH!_

(picks up the phone)

_Spike, can you give me the number of your dentist, I'm going to need to make an appointment._


	16. Leap of Faith

_"You know, I've heard it said that Honesty is the best policy. I've come to realize that is in fact true. And do you know who demonstrates that better than anypony else I know? _

_Applejack, the Element of Honesty of course!_

_No matter how hard it may be, Applejack will always tell it like it is. But, what happens when the situation does require for you to tell the truth, even if the truth isn't what somebody needs to hear?_

_Well, even our humble A.J. had to learn that the hard way. And believe you me, it wasn't as easy as you might think…._

***(~)***

**1 John 1:8-10~**

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

*(~)*

**Leap of Faith**

Korra giggled as she happily splash in the lake with Applejack and Big Mac. It was a beautiful sun shinning day in Equestria, and Korra took the time to spend some quality time with Applejack and her family. Tenzin had her working overtime in practicing her airbending. While learning the element had been fun for the longest time, the lessons started to become repetitive and she felt more like a prisoner on the island, just as she did in the compound. Living in Equestria was probably the only place where she felt she could truly be herself.

The Apple Family was having an outing on the lake, with the two eldest siblings already splashing and having fun. Big Mac wore a blue duck floaty around himself, and laughed as he and his sister happily splashed one another. Korra dove down into the lake and surprised the two by tickling their hooves, starling the two. Once Korra surfaced, the two siblings began splashing her, which only made the trio laugh.

From the shoreline, Apple Bloo, wearing a pair of orange floaties around her front legs, looked longingly from afar. "Just one more time? Please?" the little filly's big eyes shimmered. A trick nobody could resist.

Applejack smiled, "Alright, but this is the last one."

With a wide smile, Apple Bloom galloped ahead and jumped on a rock, leaped onto Big Mac's back, summersaulted onto Applejack, who used her hinged legs to toss her little sister upwards, while Korra created a water slide with her bending and Apple Bloom waved her hooves with glee as she splashed into the waters.

"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Woooo!"

The splash itself was so big it was enough to wake up a sleeping Granny Smith, who was napping on her rocking chair next to a bucket of freshly picked apples. The waters soaked her to the bone, and even a fish landed on her head before it jumped back into the water.

"Who done that?!" Granny asked once Apple Bloom's head popped out of the water, spitting the liquids out of her mouth once she did.

"Sorry, Granny Smith." Korra said sincerely.

"Oh, that's quite alright, dearie. Just be careful where ya'll are splashin'."

"It's really great you could hang out with us today, Korra." Apple Bloom said, "I thought you'd be off practicin' with Tenzin or spending time with Mako-Hey!" Apple Bloom received a splash to the face curtesy of her sister, no narrowed her eyes at the young filly, who quickly realized her slip up once she noticed Korra's saddened expression. "Oh…sorry. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Korra replied, trying her best to hide the disappointment in her voice. "It's just, Mako's been busy with work lately. I haven't had much time to spend some quality time with him in three weeks."

"I'm sure he's doin' his best to make time." Applejack said in encouragement. "You know he took this job because of you, right? I mean, before he was more interested in makin' money off of his pro-bending matches, and now he's doing his best to help protect the city like you."

"I know, and I'm really proud of him. But, lately it feels like his job has been keeping him away rather than bring us closer."

"Just give it time, sugarcube. Mako's just growing up is all."

"I just hope we're not growing apart." realizing her comment brought down the mood, Korra face palmed herself. "Er! Sorry, I didn't mean to bring you guys down with my problems."

"Don't worry about it."

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed, "We're here for you if you ever need us."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied with a confident smile.

Korra felt tucked by their kindness. "Thanks you guys."

Granny Smith then spoke up, "Besides, he'd have to have apple sauce on the brain to ever give you up."

"That's very sweet, Granny." Korra replied, "Sure you don't want to come swimming with us?"

"Uh, sorry, dear. I just can't bring myself anywhere near that there swimmin' hole."

"How come?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.

"Well, I wasn't always this way…"

"Oh, oh." Applejack said with a soft shake of her head.

"What?" Korra asked.

"Granny's haven' another of her flashbacks again." and Applejack was proven right as the elderly pony began reenacting the events in her mind.

"Time was, I was an aquapony all-star! In fact, I was the only Apple to ever come close to breaking the Equestria high-diving record! Falling six stories into a deep dish pie pan takes a toll on the hindquarters. Oh, I was so sore, took years before I could even _look_ at the water again! Just the idea of swimmin' makes my whole body ache!" Granny's body shivered and crackled as she got off of her chair and walked a few feet towards the others, "Besides, these old legs can't even paddle fast enough to stay afloat." she said, just when her hooves stepped on a small puddle, which was caused by Apple Bloom's splash, and began to slip but managed to find her balance quickly once Korra kindly bended the water off from under her. "Oh, thank you, dear."

"Boy, I sure would hate to be afraid of swimmin'." Apple Bloom said, "You think I'll ever be scared of the water?" she asked…her eyes then widened when she saw what appeared to be the back dorsal fin of a shark approaching. The little filly shrieked and instinctively leaped into Korra's arms for safety. However, the so called "shark" turned out to be only Big Mac with a fake dorsal fin attached to his head.

"Nope."

The joke still made the others laugh, even Korra who gently placed Apple Bloom back in the water. "What about you Korra? Have you ever been afraid of anything?"

"Of course." Korra replied, feeling comfortable in confessing such truth. "I was pretty scared when I faced Amon. But, even if I didn't want to admit it before, I learned that being scared doesn't make you any less brave. In fact, if you are willing to do what's even, even when you're scared, that's real courage right there." Apple Bloom laughed as Korra lifted her up and spun her around. "And you, little filly, are going to grown up to be an incredibly brave young pony!"

Applejack smiled as she watched Korra play with Apple Bloom. The Avatar just looked so natural with the child, so happy and content, so secure in her own skin. It was no wonder the Avatar often felt more at home with ponies than humans.

If anything, Korra was practically a pony already.

(~)

"Wow, Granny. I still can't believe you were a high diver!" Korra said as she and the rest of the Apple Family made their way back to the farm. Big Mac pulled the wagon with their things as they walked along the road with a pair of white picket fences on opposite sides of the road.

"The best one in Ponyville!" the elderly pony said with great pride.

"Do you think I could be a high diver?" Apple Bloom asked, to which her older siblings responded with...

"Nope."

"Absolutely not."

Apple Bloom then looked up at Korra, on hopes she would say something in contrast to what her siblings just said. "Sorry A.B. I'm going to have to side with them on this one."

"But–"

"Now you hold your horsefeathers, little seed!" Granny smith said. "I never said bein' a high diver was a smart decision! It's incredibly dangerous!"

"I know, but–"

"She's right." Korra said. "It's easier for waterbenders because you can manipulate the water to soften your fall. But if you're not…well…" she pointed her thumb downwards and blew a raspberry to emphasis her point.

"It is the riskiest, scariest, darn-fool thing I ever did do!" Granny said to her youngest grandchild, briefly stopping their walking once she turned to face the child. "That's not to say I didn't wish I was still young and spry and confident, but let's leave the flyin' through the air to the Pegasi."

"Wow, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so fun."

Korra raised her hand as if she were a student asking the teacher a question. "Uh, is anypony else noticing the large number of injured ponies or am I going crazy?"

Just as Korra said, there was indeed a very large group of ponies heading their way and walking pass them. And just as Korra said, they were all terribly injured, having a banding, cast, eyepatch, or in wheeled wooden cart to substitute for a wheel chair. Of course, there were many others who were perfectly in tact. What was even stranger was that they all appeared to be going in the same direction.

"Wow. I wonder where everypony's headed." Applejack wondered aloud. Her ears twitched and perked at the sound of what was distant fairground music. Seeing all the other ponies following the sound, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith began heading towards the music as well.

"Now where in Ponyville do you two think you're goin'?" Applejack asked rather sternly. Something about this whole thing just didn't feel right to her.

"Aw, quit bein' such a worry-worm and follow your ears!" Granny said while pointing at her lifted up pony ear, which was often drooping down at the side of her head, before continuing on.

"Come on, Applejack, aren't you curious?" Apple Bloom said before she walked on alongside her grandmother.

Applejack, Big Mac and Korra all shared the same concerned expressions, but all silently agreed that they were indeed curious as to what all the commotion was about. The couldn't say they were too excited, but Korra did want to see what it was. The three eventually complied to their curiosity and followed the music.

They followed the heard of ponies and the music grew louder and louder, indicating they were getting closer. Upon arriving to their destination, they group saw that it was a carnival tent with white and red stripes and three pols with yellow flash waving in the wind. The opening of the tent was decorated with a blue curtain, from which Applejack, Big Mac and Korra peeked into before walking right in. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were already inside and taking their place close to a wooden stage in the very center of the tent and the music stopped.

Something about this place didn't feel right to Applejack. Just something about these splashes of color seemed vaguely familiar to the pony, but she just couldn't pinpoint exactly where she had seen all this before. Korra noticed the lanterns that lit up the tent, which used fireflies instead of lightbulbs, which then appeared to be dimming. Korra arched an eyebrow upon seeing a strange-looking contraption on the stage, which appeared to be some king of wagon with an electric engine of some kind on the side and a wooden picture frame. A crack handle on the side of the machine gained a strange green aura, which commanded the contraption to turn and the machine began to release steam like a train. An image of two unicorn ponies appeared on the picture frame, sounding almost like a picture being taken, but the image was slid down instead. Two spotlights shown onto the stage in opposite sides of the machine, and Korra could see the silhouette of the two very same unicorns from the image. The ponies appeared to be wearing hats and bow ties.

"Thank you, one and all, for your attendance, and we guarantee that your time here will not be spent in vain!" One of the ponies said.

"In fact, we think it will prove to be the most valuable time you've ever spent!" the second voice said right before the curtain lifted up, revealing the two ponies.

They were tall and slender male unicorns, both with identical light grayish olive, bright red manes and tails with white streaks and wearing matching white shirts with blue and white stripped vests and black bow ties and yellow hats. The only distinct feature they had was that one's cutie mark was merely an apple slice while the other's was a whole apple with a slice cut off and one of them had a mustache. Just by the looks of it, Korra could tell these were the typical sleazy business types. She had heard of them before, especially from Mako. They were mostly harmless, but a real hassle since all they cared about was making money.

Applejack caught her attention when she gasped, "The Flim Flam Brothers!"

"The Flimmy-who what now?"

"They're a couple of no good varmints who tried to put our family out of business but usin' their big and shinny apple juicing machine." Applejack said, her eyes narrowing in disapproval before scoffing in disgust. "This should be interestin'."

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, sharing his sister's dismay upon seeing these two again.

Korra didn't say another word. She could already sense the bitterness coming from the pony. These two, as goofy as they might seem, were definitely bad news if they tried to steal Applejack's family business.

"Welcome, one and all, to the demonstration of a lifetime!" one of the brothers Flim, said to the audience, speaking in such a past paste way that Korra realized it was a miracle she could keep up with what he and his brother were saying.

"A demonstration of a better life!" Flam said.

"A demonstration of a better time! And if we haven't captured your interest just yet, by the time we've finished, an unfortunate phenomenon practically guarantees that we will!"

"A phenomenon? What's that?"

"It's a circumstance perceptible by the senses, but in this case, it's the simple fact that:"

_There's ailments all around us in everything we touch and see_

**Flam:**

_A sickness that lies waiting there in every breath you breathe_

**Flim:**

_Disease will up and grab you as it crawls from land and sea_

**Flam:**

_It's amazing how infected that the natural world and all its things can be!_

As they sang, the two used images from the slide machine to demonstrate their point, all the while everypony was curious as to what point these two brothers were trying to get across. They already knew they were all sick, so what could they do?

**Flim: **

"Now I understand that some of you don't think you're sick."

**Flam: **

"But twisted hooves and aching joints don't heal all that quick.

**Flim:**

"Consider just how dangerous this world is! You might…"

**Flam:**

_Slip and fall, break or sprain something here tonight_

As Flim sang this verse, he caused a group of sick ponies to stumble and fall, only for Flim to catch a falling elderly pony before the two got back on stage.

**Flim and Flam:**

_But luckily for you, we've got the thing you need_

_And it's easier when all you need's the cure_

_The Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic_

_Is just what the doctor ordered, I'm sure_

Upon saying the name of their "miracle tonic", an image of the bottle, which contained green goop inside and an image of the brother's silhouette of their heads appeared on the machine. Korra immediately arched an eyebrow at this. She had been learning about magic for the past four months now, and she never once heard about this miracle tonic thing. If anything, such a tic shouldn't even exist. Healing spells and medicine at best, but nothing like this. Was it a new discovery that these two had uncovered? Korra wasn't sure if to believe so.

"Now I know our claims seem fantastical." Flim said.

"Impractical." Flam said.

"Improbable."

"Impossible."

"_We get it!_" Korra called out from the audience. Just listening to these two was giving her a migraine. It was just then when the two brothers took full notice of the creature standing before them. She was standing in the far back underneath the darkness so they simply mistook her for a pool. This intrigued them.

"Well, who-or what-might you be, Miss?" Flim asked, looking as charming as he could.

"Korra." the Avatar simply replied, "And you seriously expect everypony here to buy into your "Miracle Tonic"? How do we know it isn't a lie?"

It was then, the audience, and the two brothers, gave a haughty "Oooooooooohhhhhh!" This girl, or they assumed she was given her voice, was smarter than she appeared.

"Well, if you don't believe it, Miss Korra, then allow us to give you a demonstration!" Flim said with great confidence, "We welcome every suffering pony to make their way up to the stage."

"Now don't crowd."

"And we'll prove our tonic's effectiveness before your very eyes."

Flam's eyes scanned the crowed until his green eyes landed on one particular pony with light turquoise gray coat and combat bluish gray mane, walking on crutches and wearing comically large glasses and wearing a hat and blue overalls. "You there! Come up here, good sir."

The spotlight shown on the pony, who struggled to make it onto the stage. "I'll wager you're tired of those crutches, my friend." Flim said to the injured pony as his brother's horn glowed a bright green, matching their identical eye colors, and unscrewed the tap of the bottle of their miracle tonic.

"Try taking a sip of this!"

Levitating the bottle near the hesitant pony's mouth, they poured the tonic down his throat who gulped it down. The pony stuck out his tongue after swallowing, like a stubborn child taking his medicine, while the others ponies watched in anticipation. Korra awaited to see the so called results while crossing her arms.

The tent was silent as the injured pony's body began to shake. He removed one of his crutches, placing his hoof onto the stage, perfectly straight and stable.

"Hu?!" Korra asked upon seeing what was happening and the pony placed his other hoof onto the stage, also perfectly fine. This couldn't be real, she thought. This couldn't actually be some sort of magical healing tonic, right? It just wasn't possible.

The audience gasped upon seeing the once sickly pony standing on all four hooves. A bright smile appeared on his face and his eyes beamed with happiness. Granny Smith was rather intrigued by this, and even the rest of the Apple Family was baffled as well. The pony really was cured. Granny rubbed her chin in thought, wondering if this really was legit or not. Despite the reputation the Flim Flam brothers had on their family, they were known for making some impressive gadgets. Their Supper Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 certainly was a remarkable machine and made fantastic apple cider if used properly. Granted, they had used said machine to run the family out of business, but this tonic had nothing to do with their farm. If anything, they weren't trying to sell anything that would spell bad news for their farm. As much as evert old bone in Granny's body was telling her not to trust them, the idea of a miracle tonic was just far too intriguing, and even tempting, not to think about.

The once injured pony took his crutches and began dancing with the singing Flim Flam brothers, happy to be back on his legs like before.

**Flim and Flam:**

_That's why you're so lucky we've got the thing for you_

_Just come on up, we've always got some more_

_Of the Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic_

**Cured Pony:**

_I won't need these crutches to dance out the door_

"Now how do ya like that?" Granny Smith said impressed.

"I don't." said Applejack. "There's somethin' funny about this whole thing."

Korra had to agree. Something just didn't feel right about all of this. Even if magic was a possibility, these ponies just rubbed Korra the wrong way.

The music became softer as Flim sang softer, with an entire assortment of Miracle Tonic bottles behind him.

**Flim:**

_Now some of you may suffer from feelings of despair_

_You're old, you're tired, your legs won't work, there's graying in your hair_

**Flam:**

_Just listen and I'll tell you that you don't need to fear_

_Your ears will work, your muscles tone, your eyes will see so clear!_

**Crowd:**

_Luckily for us, you've got the thing we need_

_The answer to our problems in a jar_

_The Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic_

_Is the greatest ever miracle by far!_

**Flim:**

"It cures the reins, the spurs, and the Clydesdale fur blight."

**Flam: **

"Hooferia and horsentery cured in just a night."

**Flim: **

"You've got swollen hooves and hindquarters or terrible bridle-bit cleft."

**Flam: **

"Saunter sitz and gallop plop will give your tail some heft."

**Flim:**

"Mane loss, hay fever, or terrible tonsillitis."

**Flam: **

"You heard it here, folks - this is the only place in all of Equestria you'll find it!"

**Flim:**

_It can make you shorter, taller, or even grow old_

**Flam:**

_But who'd want that?_

**Flim:**

_When with one drink_

**Flim and Flam:**

_You can be young again-_

"SOLD!" Granny Smith called out, raising her hoof up right. The old pony was acting more on impulse than anything.

"Granny!" Applejack called out, making the elderly pony come back to her senses.

"Oh, sorry Applejack. I couldn't help myself."

"You're not seriously buying into this, are you?" Korra asked.

"Well, no offense dearie, but you weren't there when the Flim Flam brothers first came to Ponyville. They may have tried to run us out of business, but their Supper Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 was no joke! Sure, it may have been used to try and run us out of business, but there's no denyin' these two got some serious skills to build somethin' like that!"

"Which begs the question; how do you know they won't do the same again?"

It was then that the Flim Flam brothers both approached the Avatar and the Apple Family, both removing their hats and bowing in respect. "That's why we came here in the first place." said Flim.

"When we discovered the ingredients to this tonic we knew we had to share it with the world!" said Flam.

"And, maybe burry the hatchet once and for all."

"We've come to realize our mistakes from before and hoped we could make amends."

"Uh-hu" Applejack said, arching her eyebrow. "And all this fancy hu-ha?"

"Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"In fact, to show our sincerity, Granny Smith, we give you one of our Miracle Tonics, free of charge!" Flim levitated the said jar and placed it onto the elderly pony's hooves, much to her happiness. After witnessing that pony get healed in a matter of seconds, who's to say the same won't work for her.

"You're seriously giving it for free?" Applejack asked, rather suspiciously.

"Of course." Flim said as he placed his hat back on his head, "In fact, everypony here gets thirty percent off!"

"And you can buy _two_ Miracle Tonics for the price of just one!"

The entire audience cheered and made a mad dash for the tonics on the stage, hanging out their pony as if it were on fire. But among all the hype, Applejack, Korra and Big Mac were anything but hyped.

"Are you two as worried as I am?" Applejack asked the two.

"Eeyup." both Big Mac and Korra replied in unison.

(~)

The next day, the Apple siblings sat together, fishing by the Mac held the rod, which had an apple tied to the end of it. Korra was practicing with Tenzin, making up for the lost time she wasted the day before, and Apple Bloom really missed her as she threw a stone into the lake.

"Aww, it's too bad Korra couldn't visit today." said the sad pony.

"Yeah, well Tenzin caught her sneakin' off yesterday so now she's makin' up for lost time." Applejack replied. "But, she said she'll be back tomorrow. I just hope that mystery tonic thing don't distract her too much."

"Boy, I still can't believe all the things that Flim Flam Tonic can do!" Apple Bloom said. The topic itself was still worrying Applejack.

"When somepony says somethin's too good to be true, it usually is."

"But, they gave it to her for free. You all saw what happened. Right?"

"I'm still not sure. Heck, I'm not even sure there's a tonic in Equestria that can make an old pony young again."

"Howdy!" A familiar voice called out, grabbing their attention and the three looked down on the lake, their eyes widening in shock at what they were seeing…

Granny Smith actually swimming! Not just swimming, she was doing a long distance backstroke in her swimwear, look completely content and not wincing in pain like she normally did.

"Granny?!"

"Hang on now! We'll get ya!" Applejack called out and she and Big Mac ran ahead to catch up to the elderly pony. Big Mac quickly removed his yoke and tossed it into the water for his grandmother to grab, but the elderly pony just calmly swam past it. Applejack ran past her and readied to kick a large tree into the lake for her grandmother to grab. But the elderly pony only swam beside it, completely missing it with no problem whatsoever. The group then slid down the hill and met up with Granny, who shook the water off of her body like a dog once she got out of the water.

"Granny, I thought you were too afraid of the water to swim!" Apple Bloom asked as she approached them, "And, and what about your hip?!"

"Well, I reckon it might have been a problem before I had myself a dose of that there Flim Flam Tonic!" Granny said, pulling the tonic from her back pocket to show to the others.

"I'm not so sure that tonic really _does_ anything'." Applejack said.

"Doesn't do anythin'?! What d'you call this?" Granny gulped down the last remains of the tonic and then began break dancing in front of her grandchildren like she were a teenager all over again. They had never seen her this happy before.

"I'm glad you're feeling good, but how do you know it's from the tonic?" Applejack asked, still feeling suspicious.

"I looked out at the water this mornin' and I felt the same terrifyin' aches and pains I always do. But one sip of that magic elixir and it all went away! Told ya them Flim Flams made quality merchandise. Why, I might even get a head start on my chores! What do you say, Big Mac-a-doo? Up for a little afternoon applebuckin'?" Granny Smith ask her eldest grandson, while kicking her hind legs excitedly.

"Uh, no." Big Mac replied. Being able to swim was one thing, but an elderly pony applebucking, he had to draw the line.

"Oh, quit your bellyaching'!" Granny Smith took her grandson by the leg and led him back to the farm, not realizing she had dropped the now empty bottle of the tonic. Applejack picked it up with her hoof, inspecting the transparent bottle, read a few words on the label and looked inside.

"Gee, it looks like that tonic works after all! I wonder what's in it." Apple Bloom said.

Applejack's eyes narrowed in determination. "I think maybe it's time we found out."

(~)

Latter that night, Apple Bloom and Applejack headed back to the Flim Flam Brother's tent, where they were once again playing that familiar music to promote their tonic. "So you're just gonna walk up and ask them how it works?" Apple Bloom asked her big sister.

"I guess." said Applejack, "Though if it's a genuine cure, I don't suppose they'll be too keen on sharin' the recipe."

"You don't believe they really changed? I mean, didn't they give Granny the tonic for free?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to believe at this point." Her thoughts were interrupted once they reached the tent and a pony came singing and dancing out the entrance. He whipped away the sweat from his brow and removed his hat, smiling in satisfaction.

Apple Bloom pointed her hoof at him. "Wait a second! That's that same pony from before!" she said.

The pony himself jerked his head upwards. It really was the same pony who was "healed" by the tonic. There was no denying it. Upon seeing the two ponies catch wind of his deception, the pony immediately ran off.

Without thinking twice, the girls ran after him towards the back of the tent, knocking over a couple of barrels to block their path, to which Applejack only kicked aside allowing them to run after him. They finally had him cornered in front of another smaller tent, where a set of tables and drawings stood. The pony shivered in fear upon seeing the two suspicious ponies.

"Now hold it right there, Mister…?" Applejack trailed off once they had this pony cornered.

"Shill." the male pony replied, shaking in terror, "Silver Shill. Ooh, what do you two want?"

"We want some answers." Applejack said sternly, stomping her hoof onto the ground, which caused the rocks beneath Silver Shill to grasp his hooves into earth made cuffs, preventing him from running away in case he tried any funny business. She normally didn't like intimidating ponies like this, but this one was part of some kind of game that she really didn't want anypony else to play. "Our Granny took some of your so called "magical" tonic and we want to know how it works."

"Granny couldn't swim before, and now she can." Apple Bloom said while arching a suspicious eyebrow at the pony, "Just like you couldn't walk and now _you_ can. But what are you doin' back here? I mean, if the tonic cured you and all…"

Silver Shill gulped in terror, unwilling to even squeak out a reply. Applejack looked around the area, seeing an assortment of wigs, costumes, makeup and props on the various tables around the backstage area. Even the same costume from the injured pony from earlier today. The reality finally clicked.

"…Because he's part of the act!" Applejack concluded. She knew there was something off about all of this, and she was right! "It's time for you to tell the truth! You never needed crutches at all, did you?"

"I, uh…"

"Unless you want to be out of an actin' job, _start talkin'!_" The country pony exclaimed with great force, connecting with her inner Korra.

"Alright! Alright, I'll tell you!"

(~)

The Flim Flam brothers's ears perked upwards when they heard the sound of somepony approaching their tent. They immediately smiled and tipped their hats upon seeing Applejack walk right inside.

"Well, if it isn't our most favorite Apple!" Flim greeted.

"What brings you back to our humble abode?" Flam greeted next, gently kicking the giant bag of bits further back, but it was already in plain sight. The brothers lowered their ears when Silver Shill made a mad dash to hide behind his two bosses.

"You two charlatans sold my Granny a face tonic, and now she's off actin' like a filly again." said Applejack as she marched angrily towards the two. But, much to her surprise, the two didn't seem to be the least bit worried or concerned.

"What's so bad about that?" Flim asked rather calmly.

"If she keeps gallavantin' around like a yearlin', she's apt to drop from exhaustion or worse! What's more, I know for a fact that your friend here is dressin' up as a different pony every night so he can _pretend_ to be cured!" Applejack gestured to a cowardly Silver Shill.

"Well, well, well, that's quite an accusation." said Flam.

"But let's say that it's true…" Flim continued.

"Hypothetically." Flaim said.

"Theoretically…" Flim replied as he and his brother placed a juicer press onto the table.

"As I understand, your Granny was a famous aquapony." said Flam.

"The star of the show, once upon a time." Flim concluded. Finishing each other's sentences was a habit they both shared.

"But hasn't set so much as a hoof in the water since." Flam said.

"Until today, that's right." Applejack replied, still uncertain as to where these two were going with this.

"Well, then even if our tonic were nothing more than a mixture of apple juice and beet leaves…"

"Hypothetically…" Flam said as he tossed his brother and apple with a couple of beet leaves

"Theoretically…" Flim said as he tossed the ingredients into the juicer.

"The fact is that Granny is happier now than before she tried it." Flam said as he juiced the apple and beet leaves, turning them into the liquid and poured it into the transparent bottle.

"Yeah, for _now_!" Applejack said, her brows narrowing at the two, "But like I said, she could get hurt doing all those stunts!"

"Well, has she gotten hurt?" Flim asked, arching an eyebrow and grinning cheekily.

"Well, no, not yet, but…"

"Tell me, have you ever seen her this energetic about anything before?"

"What's your point?" Applejack asked, already getting sick of their stubbornness.

"Even if the tonic was a fake, it still works. You can't deny the results."

But Applejack wasn't buying it. "You can try and twist things all you want, it aint gonna work!"

The two brothers only shrugged. "Suit yourself." Flim said as he bottled the tap and handed it to Applejack, placing it on her hoof. "But, ask yourself this: Do you _really_ want to be the pony who takes all that happiness away from your dear old Granny?"

"Really think about that, Applejack." Flam said.

But the country pony only glared before walking out of the tent, where Apple Bloom was waiting for her.

(~)

The very next morning, Applejack awoke up just in time to tell Granny Smith the truth. She would have told her last night, but since Granny was already asleep by that time, she decided to wait until the next morning. She had explained the whole thing to Apple Bloom, but the poor filly just didn't have the heart to tell Granny about the whole thing. It would crush her to see her so unhappy, so Applejack took on the responsibility of telling her.

She headed towards her grandmother's bedroom and knocked. "Granny. We need to talk." she said, but no reply came. She knocked once more and still no reply came. "Granny?" ever so gently, Applejack turned the knob with her mouth and entered the room, only to realize it was empty. "Where could she have gone?" she asked.

Applejack galloped downstairs to find her grandmother and siblings, but saw no sign of them. She looked in the kitchen, the living room, the barn, and still nopony was there. Only the sound of falling apples did she gallop outside towards the apple orchard and screeched to a halt upon witnessing her grandmother buck an apple tree twice her size, and all the apples fell down from the tree, leaving it completely free of apples.

"Granny?!"

"Oh, Applejack! Good mornin'!"

"Good mornin', but what are you doin'?"

"What's it look like? I'm apple buckin' some apples is what I'm doin'!" the elderly pony gave a haughty laugh and kicked another tree nearby. Applejack had never see her grandmother be so strong before. She had never bucked a tree in years, and yet here she was doing it like a pro. "I'm tellin' ya, that there tonic sure worked wonders! I don't know what I would do if I hadn't found it. Why, I've never felt this good in years!"

"In…years?" Applejack mimicked, speaking in a slight whisper.

"I never realized how much I missed being young again, and now that I have I'm happier than dog waggin' its tail! It's like a dream come true, I can finally catch up with my grandfillies, which is really what I always wanted."

"It…is?"

"You with your fancy shamsy bendin' powers, Big Mac with his strength and Apple Bloom with her fiery little spirit, and how ya'll are always wantin' me to be a part of your fun activities, I was ashamed I couldn't keep up. Now I can!" the elderly pony hugged her granddaughter with such intensity, even a few tears rolled down from her eyes, to which Applejack could feel land on her shoulder, staining her orange fur. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm…getting a pretty good idea." Applejack said as she returned the gesture. Flim and Flam were right, even if the tonic was a fake, Granny believed it was real, and her belief made it work. Besides, she didn't seem to be getting hurt. If anything, she really had become stronger than before. Maybe…maybe keeping up the facade wouldn't be so bad this time. She didn't like hiding the truth, but Granny really was so happy, crying tears of joy over the fact she could be at the same paste as her grandchildren. She now realized telling her the truth now would just be too painful. Maybe, she could wait until this whole thing blew over and Granny would realize it on her own terms. It don't hurt that she would feel young again, even if for a while. And she most certainly proved to be stronger than she led herself on to believe.

She _really_ didn't want to be the pony who took all that happiness away

(~)

Afterwords, Applejack went back insides to see Apple Bloom finally awake. "Hey." she greeted her sister sadly. "Did you tell Granny about the tonic?"

"I…well…honestly, Apple Bloom... as long as it works, I... don't suppose it really matters. Granny sure seems happy, and she's most definitely got her strength back so, maybe it would be best if we…kept it a secret, at least until the time is right that is."

"Well, if it doesn't matter to you, then it doesn't matter to me either, sis."

"Really?"

"Od course. You always know just what to do."

As sweet as that was, Applejack wasn't so sure about it.

(~)

The day went on like any other, with Applejack swinging on a swing as she watched her grandmother and little sister playing in the lake again. She had never seen Granny Smith so happy and full of life before. She was behaving like a little filly again with no signs of stopping anytime soon. A small part of her hopped this would last, seeing as she loved seeing Granny so happy. But, deep down, another part of her felt like she was violating her very nature. Being honest was what she was best at. She always told the truth and struggled to lie. Technically, she didn't bluntly lie, she just…didn't tell the whole truth. It was a half-truth if anything. She did technically admit the tonic had some effect, which really came more from Granny's behalf, but other than that…

"Hey, Granny! Think you can buck me over the water?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't see why not! Come on, Big Mac, toss her this way!"

Suddenly, Applejack's instincts immediately kicked in. The memory of her grandmother apple bucking the tree this morning faded from her memory as she headed straight for the lake.

"Granny, wait!" Applejack cried out, only to see that Granny was perfectly fine, moving her back legs as if she were ridding a bike, rolling a giggling Apple Bloom in a circle. Even Big Mac was having a great time.

"Uh, what were you sayin', dear?" Granny asked, and Applejack sat back on the swing. Even though her grandmother was happy and strong and sturdy, a part of her still couldn't help but be concerned. She did strongly believe her grandmother was capable, but at the same time she knew that had some consequences. She wanted to tell her the truth, but the memory of her happy tears remained fresh in her mind.

"Granny, don't you think you should take it kinda easy?" she said.

"I've been takin' it easy for too long! And now, thanks to that Flim Flam Tonic, I don't have to!"

Apple Bloom splashed into the water before rising back upwards, flipping her hair back and splashing the water with her front hooves. "Granny, you think I could be an aquapony like you?"

"Of course you can, sapling. There's nothin' to it but to do it!"

"Well, the Ponyville swim meet is comin' up." Apple Bloom said as she and her Granny climbed out of the water, there bodies dripping wet. "We could enter together! A legendary water pony like you? We'd be a cinch to win!"

"Mm, ee, uh, I don't know... Bein' back in the water is one thing, but a competition is a pony of a different color."

Apple Bloom's ears lowered down in sadness. "Oh. Okay."

Upon seeing the disappointed expressions on there faces, Applejack was remind of why Granny took the tonic in the first place. She did it to spend more time with her grandchildren and not feel so old and slow around them. She didn't want Granny to feel she couldn't. Besides, she was able to swim in the water and apple buck perfectly fine without a scratch. Maybe one little competition in a pool won't be so bad. So long as she didn't do a high dive, which is far more dangerous than an elderly pony apple bucking, everything would be fine. No harm done, right?

"I don't know, Granny. A swim meet sounds pretty safe." Applejack said. "And after all, if that tonic lets you swim in a river and a swimmin' hole, a pool should be no problem at all."

"Well, I'll be a tart turnover, you are right! All we need now is more tonic!" Granny smiled with glee as she drank the last bottle she had left.

Just one little swimming competition in a pool doing swimming acrobatics. No harm, no fowl. Right?

(~)

"Welcome, friends, and step right up! The next show starts in five minutes!"

The Flim Flam brothers were selling their tonic like hotcakes, but even so, there were still several ponies who were skeptical about the product itself. None the less, the two brothers did what they were best at: Making money!

"But why not buy your tonic now and avoid the rush?" Flim said as he lifted up one bottle of their false tonic. Among the crowd, Silver Shill, wearing a different disguise, handed them a few bits to help boots the sales. But, luckily for them, they didn't need to do much today.

"We'll take the whole case!" Granny Smith said, unlading the enormous bag of bits from her back and onto the floor. The two brothers exchanged smiles. Apparently, they did manage to get through to Applejack. They knew her good heart would be a perfect ploy for their scam.

"Are you saying this stuff actually works?" One injured pony with a bandage around her head and her back legs on a wheeled wagon asked.

"Ya better believe it!" Granny said happily, "Right, Applejack?"

The pony's eyes widened. She always hatted being put on the spot like this. "Well, it…does seem to work for you, Granny." she said, half-confessing the real truth. Applejack didn't realize it at first, but she had just made a very big mistake. But her slip up would be the brothers's gain.

"You heard it here first, folks!" Flim declared, "Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic is Granny Smith-tested and Applejack-approved!"

Once again, the country pony felt the heat on her once again. Now the Flim Flam brothers were putting her on the spot too. "What?! No, what I meant was-"

"If Applejack says it works, that's good enough for me!" the injured pony interrupted. Before long, each pony pulled out their bits and handed them to the Flim Flam brothers, who both smiled in victory, silently thanking Applejack with a double wink.

This was not what Applejack was expecting. All she wanted was for Granny and Apple Bloom to have fun, how did it spiral out of control like this? She didn't even lie, she just kept her mouth shut when she had to. She only did it for Granny to be happy, why was it suddenly turning into this big a problem. She never had experienced anything like this before.

Probably because she had never hid the truth for this long before. At least, to her it felt long.

(~)

Ponies chattered excitedly as they watched the ponies dive into the pool. The judged giving their scores as each pony took their turn diving into the pool, flipping and twirling in their own elegant routines. On the side of the pool, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith began doing churches, both kept their game faces on.

"Hoo-ha, hee-hee, ha-hoo-ha!" they both chanted as they squatted. Applejack walked towards them, smiling hopefully that they would be alright.

"Just remember, you two. The most important thing is to be safe and have fun, right?"

"Fiddlesticks!" Granny Smith said, her eyes sparkling with a youthful determination, "With the routine we've been workin' on, I'll be a plum puddin' if we don't win this thing!"

Applejack so hopped Granny wouldn't go too overboard with this idea. It had been a few days now and she was still as fit as a fiddle. Maybe she was being too overprotective. "Uh… good luck, then!

"Luck? Pfft, who needs luck? We got tonic on our side!"

Tonic this, tonic that, is Applejack heard that word one more time she was gonna...

"Flim Flam's Magical Curative Tonic!" said the voice that was already feeling like a claw through her brain. "Get your Applejack-approved tonic! Granny Smith drinks it – why shouldn't you?"

The Flim Flam brothers had their own stand near the swimming competition, selling it to unsuspecting ponies, even to those who weren't injured. Maybe, if luck would have it, one of these ponies would discover the truth and tell on these two liars. But, seeing the joy and ambition in Granny's eyes, Applejack hoped it just wouldn't be today at least.

"Now, if'n you'll excuse us, we got some swimmin' to do!" Granny and Apple Bloom took their positions as the music played. Applejack took her spot among the crowd and watched the two dive into the pool, performing some elegant synchronized swimming, which looked harmless enough. Granny looked so happy and in perfect sync with the water, almost as if she were made for it. She and Apple Bloom did the most elegant and eye-catching routine she had ever seen. Even the audience agreed.

"Wow, they're really good!" said a familiar voice, which caught Applejack's attention. She looked up and galloped happily upon seeing her best human friend present for the competition.

"Korra! How'd you know we'd be here."

"I ran into Big Mac and he told me. So, did I miss much?"

"No, you're just in time!"

The two happily watched the two swimming ponies dance and swim in perfect sync across the water like two elegant ballerinas. For the final performance, Granny tossed Apple Bloom into the air, she twirled and spun, emitting drops of water from her body before being caught by her grandmother, two rose from the water, elegantly spitting water from her mouth like a fountain. The audience cheered and the judges gave a perfect score.

"Well, I'll be…" Applejack said in amazement. Granny truly was stronger and much nimbler than she looked.

"I know. I knew she didn't need that fake tonic after all."

At that moment, Applejack's eyes widened in shock, "Wait! You know?!"

"Of course I did. I didn't think so at first, but before I left last time I got myself one of those tonics to see for myself what all the hullabaloo was about. But then Ikki accidentally drank it and turns out it was just apple juice with beet leafs."

"But-but-but-but-but why didn't you say somethin'?!"

"Believe me, I wanted to, but Tenzin really boosted up security around the island these past few days. My legs are still soar from sitting in a lotus position for seven hours straight!" the Avatar groaned a she rubbed her legs, which were still pretty soar. It was a miracle she could still stand up. "Besides, I knew you'd figure it out and tell the truth. It's gonna take a lot more than some flimsy fake position to trick you."

The pony blushed and chuckled nervously. "Eh, yeah…pretty silly."

The nervous chuckle was enough to make Korra grow concerned. "Applejack?"

The sound of flashing cameras caught the girls' attention once Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were given the first place trophy. A trip of pony news reporters took pictures and levitated a notebook and quill to ask some questions. "That was some of the most amazing aquabatics I've ever seen! How in Equestria did you do it? Hard work? Lots of practice?"

"Yeah, but mostly it's the tonic!" Granny said, right before the two Flim Flam brothers came up and scooted themselves into the picture beside Granny and Apple Bloom.

"That's Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic, to be precise." Flim said.

"Buy it now while supplies last." Flam said.

Korra was literally jaw dropped when she saw that ponies were still fawning and practically giving their money away to this tonic. The Avatar turned to the pony, whom she knew was the most honest friend she knew. "You didn't tell anypony?!"

"Please, just let me explain!"

"Go head." Korra said sternly while crossing her arms, her voice still sounding shocked. "This should be interesting."

"Look, the thing is, I wanted to tell Granny the truth, but then I saw how happy she was and that all she ever wanted was to be young again so she could be closer to me, Big Mac and Apple Bloom, then she cried into my shoulders and I didn't want to take away that happiness. I didn't mean to make that tonic so popular, I was just trying to make Granny happy!"

Korra's disappointed expression shifted to one of sympathy. "So, you thought that by keeping it a secret you would spare another person's feelings."

"Well…yeah. I know you must be very disappointed in me."

"Actually….you know what, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, I _am_ disappointed in you!" the Avatar's voice rose up, making the country pony reel back in fear, her ears lowered and one hoof risen upwards. "I would have expected this from anypony else, but not you! And not just because you're the Element of Honesty, it's because you would never do anything to hurt anybody."

"But if I did tell the truth Granny would have been hurt."

"And if she found out you've been keeping the truth from her she'd be just as hurt. I went through the same thing with Rainbow Dash back at Rainbow Falls and Mako when he was still with Asami. A lie is like a clogged up sink. The longer you take to fix it, the more difficult it's going to be to clean up afterwords. No matter how you try and justify it, a lie is still a _lie_."

Applejack knew Korra was right. She had seen first hand how lies can hurt people. That's actually, ironically, one of the things Mako taught her, even if he didn't realize it. And now, she was teaching Applejack. Even if Korra still had much to learn, she knew she would become a greta teacher one day in the future. The pony placed her hat over her heart in regret. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm a real failure." she felt Korra's gentle hand lift her chin up, and the Avatar smiled.

"I can _never_ stay angry at you, A.J. And it's not too late to clean up the mess."

The sound of clinging bits made Applejack turn her head and saw none other than Silver Shill handing out bottles of tonic while wearing yet another disguise. A referee shirt and a baseball cap with the same big comical glasses. After making yet another sale, Silver turned around and yelped in fear upon seeing Applejack standing before him.

"What are _you_ doin' here?"

"Oh, things are going so well, Flim and Flam gave me a promotion! Just made my first bit as a salespony." the pony proudly demonstrated her the shinny bit he had just made. "No more costumes for this pony." Applejack only arched an eyebrow, her eyes darting at his outfit. "This is more of a uniform." he corrected.

"If you say so."

"I used to wonder if I was doing the right thing. You know, pretending to be cured, basically lying to folks about this tonic. But thanks to you, I realized that sometimes honesty _isn't_ the best policy."

"Thanks to... me?" Applejack's felt a terrible ache in her heart upon hearing this. All she wanted was to make Granny happy, comfortable, excited, but now all she did was create a giant clog in the sink, and it was getting evener bigger by the minute. Things got worse when she heard Apple Bloom's voice from behind and saw her little sister standing on a stage, actually promoting eth tonic as cameras flashed.

"With Flim Flam's magical Curative Tonic, my Granny can do anything! Just ask Applejack!" the filly pointed to her sister, who's eyes widened in shock as the cameras flashed before her. She turned to Korra, who was clenching her fists, not in anger, but in her attempt to hold back her desire to speak up. But, they both knew it wasn't Korra's mess to clean up.

It was Applejack's.

"No! This has gotta stop! If ponies keep believin' that tonic can do things it can't, who knows what'll happen?" Applejack felt silver Shill place his hoof on Applejack's shoulder, and pinnated upwards towards the diving tower.

"Maybe something like that?"

Both Applejack and Korra gasped upon seeing Granny Smith climbing up the diving tower, but she didn't stop at the medium dive…she was aiming for the hight dive. The highest dive of them all! For a waterbender, Korra could survive it no problem, but for a normal earth pony like Granny…they might as well be picking the tub stone right now.

"Granny!" Applejack called out from down bellow and galloped towards the tower, where Apple Bloom pushed a small little tin filled with water. It was barely enough to cushion Granny's fall. "What in blazes does she think she's doin'?!"

"Granny's gonna break the Equestria high divin' record!" Apple Bloom said excitedly, shocking Korra. Both she and Applejack looked down at the small tin and way up at the tower, the two already feeling dizzy at how high the elderly pony could be right now.

"This is all my fault!" Applejack exclaimed as she ran up to climb the tower herself. Korra took her position, ready to save the poor pony when she needed to. She would use her waterbending to keep her from falling if Applejack came too late.

"Granny Smith! You get down from there right now!" Korra shouted in the loudest, most authoritative tome she could master. She never knew she would have to say this to an elderly pony before, but here she was.

"Don't you worry about a thing, dearie!" Granny called out from down bellow as she bent down her knees, making the diving board underneath her bend slightly before making her leap. Applejack made it just at the right moment when Granny jumped off. Gasping in hour, Applejack ran up to grab her, but she was too late. As Granny dove down towards the tiny tin, Korra acted quickly and bended the water around to create and ice slide which caused the elderly pony to slide safely down and into the shallow end of the pool, perfectly unharmed.

Korar took in an exaggerated sigh of relief, her head and arms dangling in while Applejack practically passed out. Thank heavens Korra was there to save her grandmother. She truly was a loyal friend.

Granny shook her body dry once she emerged from the pool. "Now what in tarnation did you do that for?!"

"Are you serious?! That was the most insane, idiotic, near death stunt I have ever seen anypony do in all my life! And I once jumped off of an airship!"

"She's right, Granny!" Applejack called from down bellow as she slid downwards on the side of the tower. "You can't do a dive like that!"

"Oh, quit your fussin'! I had enough tonic to do a dive ten times as high!"

"Twenty times, by my count." Flim said.

"Thirty, with a favorable breeze." Flam said.

"Don't you two ever shut up?" Korra said, already feeling like her ears would bleed. Applejack narrowed her eyes as she watched Granny gulp down yet another bottle of the tonic down, the rays of the sun hitting the glass, causing it to emit shimmering rainbow lights. It was then, something triggered within Applejack and Korra's words from before were heard in her head.

_"It's not too late to clean up the mess."_

As the pony's eyes shimmered with rainbow colors as bright as the sun, Applejack finally realized the truth. She had been trying to make Granny Smith feel good, but at the expense of not only her integrity, but for her grandmother's well being. **Just because something makes somebody happy doesn't always mean it will be good for you.** And that was the _Truth_ Applejack needed to realize. She looked up at the the Avatar, who nodded her head at her friend. Normally, she would have wanted to tell the truth already, but this was Applejack's mess and she was the one who had to clean it up. The country pony took in a deep breath and faced the music.

"I hate to disappoint everypony, but there's no way Granny could have made that dive, because this tonic is a fake!"

The entire audience, minus Korra and the Flim Flam brothers, all gasped in shock upon the pony's confession. "But you gave it your stamp of approval!" one pony said, "Are you saying you lied?"

As much as it pained her, and humiliated her to admit it, she had to. Removing her hat and placing over her heart, she did just that.

"…I am."

Even more gasped emerged. Applejack was the most honest pony they knew, why would she lie like this?

"I didn't mean to! But Granny seemed so much happier, I couldn't bring myself to tell her when I found out the tonic wasn't real. Then I saw everypony else buying into the lie but I still stayed quiet because I wanted everypony to be happy. I know it was wrong. I just hope with time, I can win back everypony's trust."

"But if the tonic is a fake, then how come Granny can swim again, and what about all that aquabatics stuff we just did?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I reckon sometimes you can forget what you're capable of, and it just takes a little extra confidence to remember that it was inside of you all along." Applejack walked on over to her grandmother and hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth, Granny. I know I should have, even if it would disappoint you. But you don't need a tonic to feel strong. You're already the strongest pony I know."

Granny's eyes swelled up with tears. "Awww. Thank ye, Applejack."

Now, it was Korra's turn as she approached the Flim Flam brothers. "As for you two!" she said, making the two ponies quiver in fear, "Telling ponies your tonic can do things it can't is just wrong!"

"But Applejack just said it boosts confidence!" Flim said, trying to mask their slip up.

"And that's not all it does, folks–"

"Yes, it is!" Flam was interrupted when a certain pony, Silver Shill, spoke up. He removed his hat and glasses, revealing his bright blue eyes. She stood tall before the crowd, facing against his bosses. "In fact, it's not a tonic at all! I know, 'cause I helped make it!" The Flim Flam brothers began to sweat nervously as Silver Shill continued his confession. "Watching Korra save Granny and Applejack admit to lying, well, that made me realize I was making ponies believe in a thing that just wasn't so!"

"Believin' in somethin' can help you do amazin' things." Applejack said, "But if that belief is based on a lie, eventually it's gonna lead to real trouble."

The two brothers attempted to slip away from view, only to be stopped by a rock that rose from the ground and Korra had them cornered. "And as for you two. You're going to return all the money you took from these ponies, right this instant!"

"What makes you think you can-" Flim's question was interrupted when Korra's hands ignited with flames, the lights creating shadows on the Avatar's angry face, making her look all the more menacing to the ponies, who could feel the heat of the flames despite the distance.

"Um, if you insist!"

"We'll get right on it!" The two quickly readjusted their stand and changed the sign. "Refunds! Get your refunds!"

Korra smiled proudly as she watched the two give away the money they had taken…much to their dismay and the Avatar's amusement.

Silver Shill then approached the country pony, :Thank you, Applejack." he said, He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold bit he had made in selling the fake tonic and placed in on her hoof. "I got this through dishonest means. That was a mistake I won't be making again! I'd like you to have it, as a reminder of how you helped me finally see the truth."

Applejack could see her reflection on the shinny gold surface. "I don't know…"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll track down the pony I sold that worthless tonic to and give him another bit to replace this one! Honest."

Applejack smiled in gratitude at the pony and turned back to her grandmother. "I'm sorry, Granny. I hope this doesn't mean you'll stop swimmin'."

"Why in tarnation would I do that? I just can't believe those two salesponies had me believin' I could near fly!"

"Well, I have a feeling they're learning their lesson." Korra said with a smile as she watched the brother practically crying as they gave the money away. "One bit at a time."

(~)

"_Bein' honest sure gets hard when it seems like the truth might hurt somepony you care about. But I think believin' a lie can end up hurtin' even more. Maybe some ponies don't care about that – but I sure ain't one of them."_

Once Applejack was done writing on the journal while laying on the grass underneath a tree, she turned to the Avatar, who was leaning against the tree trunk. "Thanks, Korra."

"For what?"

"For remindin' me of what I stand for."

"Hey, you've always been there to tell me the truth, I'm just returning the favor." the Avatar playfully tickled the pony, making her laugh before she leaped forward and jumped onto Korra's stomach, the two laughing joyfully. From a few feet away, they saw Granny about to dive into the pool from the diving board.

"Now you take it easy there, Granny!" Korra called out.

"Oh, I plan to! Hoo, ha, ha-whee!" the elderly pony leaped onto the pool from the short diving board and splashed with Apple Bloom. She now realized she didn't a tonic to catch up with her grandfillies. They were more than willing to wait up for her if they had to.

As Korra and Applejack walked down the small hill to be with the others, the bit that Silver Shill gave to Applejack rested on the corner side of the journal, which gave out a shimmering rainbow glow.

All six keys have been accounted for. All but one.

(~)

_"I guess, it just goes to show; just because something makes you happy, doesn't always mean it will be good for you. Especially if it will cause you more harm than good, and if it's based on a lie that's mean to bring your downfall rather than raise you back up, which si what Korra did for Applejack and Applejack did for Granny Smith._

_Well, that's all for now. Tune in next time for another…_

Tales of Equestria!"


	17. Trade ya!

_"Oh, hey everybody!_

_Sorry, you might have caught me at a bad time. I was just getting rid of a few things in my closet. _

(begins removing random objects from closet)

_Get rid of that. And that. And that, and that, and that and-hey, I thought I threw this out already! Get out!_

(tosses out a CD of Frozen.)

_You know, at times like this I wish I could just give this junk away…hey, that reminds me! The Republic City's Traders Exchange is coming up! You guys remember that, right? They used to host it at Rainbow Falls, but now they host it here in Republic City too._

_You know, looking at all this stuff reminds of of when Rainbow Dash went through hoof and nail just to get an old Daring Do book._

_Hey, that's actually a great story to tell today!_

*(~)*

Matthew 6:21~

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

*(~)*

**Trade Ya!**

Poor little Jinora had to cover her ears due to the incredibly loud shrieking of both her little sister and Pinkie Pie, who both jumped up and down on their seats. The Mane Six, along with Korra, Bolin and the airbender kids were on their way to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange. Since both Mako and Asami were busy with work (both getting incredibly more and more busy these past few weeks), and with Bolin having some free time, and the airbender children wanting to visit the land of rainbow waterfalls falling from the clouds, they were more than eager to tag along.

"Yes! Best day ever!" Pinkie Pie squealed loudly, "We're all going to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange!"

Jinora only rolled her eyes and returned to reading her pamphlet on Rainbow Falls itself. "It really is exciting." the young airbender's eyes sparkled upon the image on the paper. "To think, real life waterfalls falling from the sky, made entirely out of rainbows! It's almost too good to be true!"

"That's Equestria." Korra said as she ruffled the young girl's hair. "One surprise after another."

The train came to a halt and the group exited the train. Applejack adjusted a large brown bag from a wooden wagon and hoisted it onto her back, while Rarity adjusted her saddle bag. As always, it was colored pink with a white strap decorated with a diamond, and also wearing a lovely bewailed broach styled like a flower inside a golden circle, with red rubies as the heart and slender emeralds designed like the leafs.

Bolin jumped out of the train, outstretching his arms. "Hello, Rainbow Falls! Bolin is back!"

"Bolin, do you always have to do that when we return to a previous location?" Rarity asked with an amused smile.

"If I don't, how will anybody know I was here?"

"You're one of the first male humans these ponies have seen so far." Korra stated with an amused smile, mirroring Rarity's. "I'm pretty sure you won't be easy to forget."

"Awww, thanks Korra! That means a lot."

Meelo then popped out of the train, riding on his air scooter before landing beside them. "And I'm the next male human here!"

"Don't forget the best part! We're accompanying a princess on an official royal duty!" Ikki exclaimed loudly and excitedly, starling Twilight and Korra, who was holding a wooden box filled with box for the alicorn princess.

"Please, it's not that big of a deal." Twilight said as they made their way towards a large rock with a very small cave, which was the main entrance to the Rainbow Falls exchange location.

"What do you mean it's no big deal?" Jinora asked in confusion. "You're a princess! That's got to count for something."

"Sadly, it doesn't." Korra replied. "There always has to be a princess at the Exchange. Last year was Princess Cadance, this year it's Twilight."

"Exactly. It's just a formality." Twilight said.

Meanwhile, Ikki's eyes sparkled upon seeing the first rainbow waterfall poring from the clouds above and landing on a rainbow pond nearby. She extended her hand and dipped her finger into the water. Curious, she licked it and immediately fell a chill go up her spine. Maybe she couldn't have tasted the blue color.

"Come on, Ikki!" Korra called out, and the airbender darted off behind them as the group made it through the small cave opening, where the sunlight could still be seen despite the stone cold roof above them. The tunnel itself was very small, so they made it back into the outside in a few short moments.

"I'm sure none of the other ponies will even notice I'm here." Twilight said once they made it back outside…only to be startled by the sound of excitable gasps, cheers and confetti falling all around her.

"Wow, look over there, a princess!" one pony in the crowd cried out, just as a couple of pegasus ponies unfolded a banner, hung by two wooden poles. The banner was an image of Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, and more confetti fell all around them, landing on their manes and hair, and even clothing on the human's case. Twilight remained still, her eyes widened in surprise as Korra squatted down to whisper near her ear.

"Could be wrong, but I think they might've noticed." The Avatar said with an amused smile, while the alicorn only laughed nervously. She was never one who liked being the center of attention.

Bolin then raised up his hands, addressing to the crowd. "Okay, everypony, thank you very much for the warm welcome, now please let us pass." the earthbender, using his natural charisma, managed to kindly get the ponies to obliged and clear the way for the others to walk through. "Okay, step aside, watch the tail there good sir, thank you!"

Twilight released a sigh of relief. At least that little moment of awkwardness was over. "I still don't get why you don't like this, Twilight." Bolin said, once the confetti stopped falling and the audience had calmed down. "I mean, some folks would flip to have a parade in their honor!"

"Not everybody likes the attention, Bolin." Korra said as she walked a few steps ahead of him, carrying the box of books.

"Says the most famous human being in existence." Bolin said, placing his hands on his hips, his voice oozing with sarcasm, which made Korra briefly stop in her tracks and sigh.

"Okay, so maybe a little praise isn't so bad." she said, remembering her pro-bending days. "But believe me, too much attention isn't as glamourous as you think." she knew that much.

Living at the compound, she would receive so much criticism from the other White Lotus elders, and once she got to the city she was celebrated for many of her talents. But, even that came with a price. At least pro-benders had a normal life outside of the ring, Korra didn't. She had political eyes, news reporters, and even her own mentor eying her. Making sure she succeeded or either slipped up. So yeah, while it is nice to have folks acknowledge what you are good at, too many eyes on you can be a burden. She knew that as well as anybody. In fact, if she were to received any positive feedback from anyone, she would rather it were from her friends. At least she knew their words were genuine and didn't need to prove anything to them. To her friends, she could be herself.

Jinora and Fluttershy walked towards one of the booths, where they marveled at a lovely antique glass bird. "Oh, my goodness!" the yellow pegasus said with wonder at the beautiful work of art.

"You said it." Rarity said as she modeled a lovely pink rose hat while looking at her reflection in the mirror. "The Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange is simply divine. You can get anything you want here!"

"If'n you got the goods to trade for it." Applejack said as she pulled on the wooden wagon behind her.

"I wish we brought something to trade." said Ikki, dropping her shoulders in disappointment. "But, we airbenders don't really have much anyway." she then felt Korra place a comforting arm around her.

"Don't sweat it, Ikki. Bolin and I didn't bring anything either."

The earthbender fiddled with his fingers, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeell."

"Bolin?"

"I might have brought a few things." he said and rummaged through the stuff in Applejack's wagon before pulling out a folded up paper, which was an old poster of the Fire Ferrets. On the picture, all three of them in action poses, wearing their pro-bending gear.

Korra arched an eyebrow. "An old Fire Ferrets poster? Really?"

"Hey, this stuff sells like hot cakes! Besides, I promised Pabu I'd get him something." the ferret himself squeaked as he crawled up onto his master's shoulder.

Korra only rolled her eyes as they carried on. Spike was holding in his hands a Power Ponies comic book, wrapped in a transparent case. "What's that, Spike?" Meelo asked, curiously taking the thing from Spike. The little dragon nervously snatched it away from the airbender boy.

"Careful, Meelo! One ding, nick or dent, and this Power Ponies comic book wouldn't be in perfect mint condition anymore. _And_ if you want to trade for a mint comic, you gotta _have _a mint comic."

A crowd of ponies gathered around Twilight, and Korra, murmuring in awe upon seeing the princess right before their eyes. They were even more surprised to see the human girl Avatar, whom they had not expected to come. If they had, they would have had a banner at the ready. Instead, one pony handed Korra a bouquet of flowers, free of charge, much to her surprise. As kind as the gesture was, she felt it was unnecessary. As more and more ponies crowed around the two, Twilight's face flustered and she hid her face with her wings and galloped ahead. Poor pony was so self conscious about being royal now. Unlike Korra, Twilight still wasn't entirely used to all the attention. Poor thing.

Korra gave a soft giggle as she placed the box on the booth Twilight had set up, with a banner of a book on it. "I guess a pony who's here on official princess business has to expect a little fussing." Korra said.

"But all I'm supposed to do is settle disagreements over whether a trade is fair or not." Twilight explained, now feeling a lot more at ease now that she was away from the large crowd. "And since the rule is that a trade is fair as long as both ponies get what they want, there's never been a disagreement. So there's really no reason for anypony to treat me as anything special."

"Easier said than done, sweetheart." Korra said as she nodded her head to her left, where an adorable little white pegasus filly with mint blue mane and tail smiled up at the two. Her little tail wagging like an excitable puppy dog.

Twilight happily greeted the child, who's amethyst eyes sparkled with glee. "Hi! Can I help you?" the princess asked…only to see that the filly had pulled out a picture of the princess, asking for her autograph. Twilight let out a sigh and levitated a quill to do just that.

Korra only watched. She knew how much Twilight didn't like attention, but sadly, it came with the new territory. But, apparently, she wasn't the only celebrity in town today. Korra briefly spun around and was startled to see yet another pegasus filly, this one yellow with a sky blue mane and tail, flying right in front of her and holding Bolin's poster in her mouth, hoping for Korra to sign it as well.

Korra couldn't say 'no' to this sweet little filly, so she kindly complied. Once satisfied, the two fillies flew off, giggling excitedly with their autographed pictures and Korra shot Bolin an unamused glance.

"Don't worry, I've still got plenty left!" the earthbender said as he pulled out a number of rolled up posters.

"Well, I better get started." Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings excitedly. "There's a pony here who's got a signed first edition of _Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue_, and _I'm_ gonna get it! I've been able to get first editions of _all_ of the Daring Do books, except this one! Nopony's ever put together a whole set, and I'm gonna be the first!" the pony's ears then lowered down sadly, "If it hasn't been traded yet... It's the only one in all of Equestria!"

"Oh no! I'd really hate to see you disappointed." Fluttershy exclaimed with worry and pulled out a whistle from underneath her wing, with the head designed to look like a bear. "I did want to trade this bear call I've got for a bird whistle, but getting that book seems so important to you, so if you need me to help you first…"

"Normally I'd say I don't need any help, but you're right. This _is_ really important. I've gotta get that book!"

"Can I help?" Meelo asked, raising his hand up.

"You don't even like books." Jinora stated.

"No. But I do like spending time with Rainbow Dash. She's the coolest!"

Rainbow Dash smiled and gave the little bald boy a noogie on the head. "Aww, thanks little man. Come on, guys!" the rainbow pony took both Fluttershy and Meelo and flew off to get the book, with Ikki and Pinkie Pie waving goodbye.

Jinora sighed, "I better go with and make sure Meelo doesn't do anything crazy." she said as he headed to the direction Rainbow and the others had gone.

Applejack pulled a large bag from the wagon and "Well, I'm off to take a gander at some of the vintage stalls."

"Did you say vintage?" Rarity asked, adjusting her saddle bag and galloping behind Applejack.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ikki called out and ran towards the unicorn, who now was walking side by side with Applejack.

"Why, old and rare items are _so_ in style right now!" Rarity said with glee before looking back at her saddle bag, "I'm hoping to get a vintage item as well. I just hope I brought enough to trade."

"I know what you mean, Rarity." Applejack said with sincere sympathy.

"At least you guys get to trade something." said the poor airbender, "Must be fun."

Hearing the poor sad airbender girl sigh made the two ponies look on sadly. The air nomads were known for being very un-materialistic, so Ikki didn't really own much. They weren't saying it was a bad thing, but it was a tad depressing that Ikki couldn't at least see what it was like.

"Well, why don't we get something for you then, darling?" Rarity suggested.

"No, I wouldn't want you to waste your stuff on me."

"Nonsense! Call it a gift!"

"But, what about your vintage stuff?" Ikki asked.

"Oh, we can always get more next year." Applejack insisted, "In fact, why don't we poll our trade stashes, Rarity?"

"Pool?" Rarity asked curiously.

"That way, if one of us finds somethin' real valuable Ikki likes…"

Rarity gasped in realization, "She'll definitely be able to get it! Who could say no to exchanging a single object for such a huge assortment of items? Oh, yes! That is absolutely brilliant!"

"Wow, you guys would do that for me?" the young airbender smiled, placing her hands over her heart.

"Of course!" Rarity replied.

"We'd be more than happy to."

"Wow! I'm so glad to have friends like you guys!"

"We feel the same way, Ikki." Applejack said with a wink.

"Then let's go shopping!" Rarity galloped and took the lead, with Applejack and Ikki close behind. Ikki was already bursting with excitement.

(~)

With Korra's help, Twilight organized the books on the table when Bolin and Pinkie PIe returned. Bolin was already carrying a bagful of items he had traded to other ponies for his posters. Korra looked at the bag in surprise.

"Wow! You traded all your posters already?"

"I told you they'd sell like hotcakes!" Bolin stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out a few things, "You wouldn't believe the stuff I got! A feather duster, a spatula, some spices, a few books, this old lamp, a picture frame-"

"I thought you were going to get something for Pabu."

"I did!" Bolin said, just when Pabu poked out form behind his shoulder, wearing the cutest little soldier costume and hat. "And if I see anything else I like, I'll just trade them the stuff I already have. Man, I love this place!" Korra only rolled her eyes in amusement and continued helping Twilight with the books.

"Um, shouldn't your princessness be headed to the royal box seats?" Pinkie Pie asked Twilight, pointing her hoof to where the royal chair placed fro Twilight stood empty.

"I may be the princess on duty, but I don't think that means I have to sit up there all alone doing nothing." Twilight replied as she placed the last book on the table. "Ever since I became a princess, Celestia's been sending me more books to read than ever. The library's overflowing."

"And even with the ones she already gave me and Jinora, there's still way too much leftover." said Korra.

"So I figured while we're here, I might as well trade away some books I don't need anymore." it was then that the princess felt her stomach rumble. "Oh, guess I shouldn't have had that light breakfast."

"You go on ahead." Korra said, "I'll keep an eye on the books for you."

"Thanks, Korra. You're the best!"

(~)

Rainbow Dash gasped when she saw the object she had been dying to see all day long. "There it is! The first edition of _Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue_! It hasn't been traded yet!" she said, her wings flapping rapidly to showcase her excitement.

The book of Rainbow's dreams was on display, front row, on the stand of a vendor pony with a pale yellow coat and bright tangerine mane with lighter tangerine streaks, wearing a safari getup and matching hat with three teddy bears as her cutie mark. The stand was filled with an assortment of adventure themed merchandise, such as safari clothing, old replicas of ancient legendary treasures and even a few hiking supplies.

Rainbow Dash placed her hooves on the ground and spoke to the pony, "Lucky for _you_, because I've brought my most valuable possession to trade for it…" Rainbow Dash pulled from out a rusted old object and placed it proudly onto the table. "My lucky horseshoe!"

The safari pony looked down at the object, her brows rising and her lips pouting in disinterest. "I don't want it." she said bluntly with a shake of her head and gave the rainbow haired pegasus her horseshoe back, much to her disappointment and shock.

"What?!"

"It's just a rusty old horseshoe. That's not worth anything to me."

"But, but how is Rainbow Dash going to get the book she really wants?" Jinora asked, while Rainbow's eyes shimmered and her irises increased in size, giving her a longing puppy dog look, with her ears pressed against her head in sadness.

"Well, she's not." the yellow pony replied, placing one hoof on the table and another on her hip.

Rainbow Dash sighed in disappointment and passed out right then and there. Well, maybe not pass out, more like lay her back on the grass out of disappointment.

Meelo refused to let this happen. Rainbow Dash wanted that book, and his father's beard he was going to make sure she got it. The little airbender boy aggressively slammed his hands onto the table, getting the pony's undivided attention.

"We're not leaving until we get that book!" He exclaimed boldly, increasing his tone to sound as macho and intimidating as he could.

"I"m sorry weird little human kid, but unless you guys have anything that interests me, it's not deal."

"Then we'll get something of interest! Say it and we'll get it!"

The pony blinked. "Seriously?"

"Look at my face, lady! I _am_ being serious!" Meelo gave the pony his most intimidating frown, which only made him look rather creepy in the pony's eyes and Jinora to face palm herself in embarrassment. Still, she couldn't pass up the chance to get something she really wanted.

"Well…alright, I can give you the book." she said, which made Rainbow Dash sit back up, smiling in anticipation. "If, you can get me _that_."

The pony pointed her hoof to another stand nearby, which was in fact a tent sun by a very masculine pony with a beard and a buff grey colored body, wearing all sorts of chains and belts. He tightened his teeth as he tried to pull on a chain with his mouth, in an attempt to hold down a ferocious beast, slightly bigger than the pony himself. The beast was covered in fur from top to bottom, brown in color and with two barking heads, resembling two species of dogs. One head looked like a saint bernard while the other resembled a generic mutt.. This head was the tallest out of the two. Both heads wore collars and were snarling and drooling at the mouth. The tallest head broke a bone in two with its jaws.

Meelo, Jinora and Rainbow Dash were both jaw dropped by the creature. Mostly on how terrifying it was. The pony running the stand was an owner of rare and dangerous creatures, and this one was most definitely the mane attraction. How he managed to get one was beyond them.

The only pony who wasn't afraid of the beast, amazingly, was Fluttershy. "Aww, an Orthros! How cute!"

"Cute?!" Jinora exclaimed in shock at the sweet pony's comment. Naga is cute, a giant bison is cute but, this thing?…They'd be lucky if they left this place with their limbs still in tact…and with blood still in their bodies.

"The pony running the ancient beasts stall doesn't want anything I've got." said the safari pony, "But if _you_ can get me the Orthros, I'll trade you the book for it."

Rainbow's eyes landed back onto the Daring Do book, and all of her doubts went away. She was not giving up on getting this book. She was no quitter. "You got it!" she replied with great confidence.

But Jinora was skeptical. "Um, maybe we can find you something else that you might like?" she asked the safari pony, chuckling nervously, "One that doesn't have razor shaper teeth, maybe?"

"Well, if it's too scary for you kids…"

That comment was enough to boost up Meelo's ego. "I'm not afraid of anybody or anything!" the little airbender puffed up his chest in an intimidating fashion to showcase his bravery. Even if he was still a scardy cat on the inside.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and used her hooves to turn the little boy and his sister around and gently shoved him ahead to walk. "Okay, one Orthros, coming right up!" she said as she used her wing to wave at the pony.

"How are we going to get that Orpoto-Ortures-Orpu-tor-Whatever it is!" Meelo asked.

"I don't know." Rainbow confessed, "But, somehow, we're gonna get that Orthros."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to end well?" Jinora said to herself.

(~)

Meanwhile, Ikki was still indecisive on what to get. There wasn't really anything that caught her eye. This began to make the two ponies feel guilty. The poor child didn't know what she wanted. There were so many options, but she just couldn't decide. They were all so amazing, she just couldn't pick. Also, the other reason why she was so indecisive was because she didn't want her friends to waste too much on her.

From afar the two friends sadly watched as the poor young girl sighed in disappointment. "Oh, I fell awful!" Rarity said, her ears pressed close to her head. "The poor child doesn't know what to get."

"Bet she doesn't want us wastin' our stuff on her, either."

"Still, I really want to get her something. She's such a sweet girl. Even if she does something say things without thinking." Rarity said, remembering the time Ikki bluntly revealed to Asami that Korra had a crush on her then boyfriend.

"True." Applejack's ears perked up and a smile came across her face. "Hey, I think I got an idea!" the pony galloped towards the airbender, who was looking at a few hats. "Hey, Ikki. How's about we make this easier for you and find a gift for you ourselves. Just tell us what you would like and we'll find it for you."

"Really? That'd be great! All of this stuff is making it hard for me to pick just one."

"Well, what exactly it is you're looking for?" Rarity asked.

The little airbender pondered. "Well…I'm not sure. Something pretty, I guess. But there are so many pretty things here."

"Don't worry, sugarcube. We'll help ya find exactly what it is you're looking for."

"You guys are the best!" Ikki wrapped her arms around the two ponies, hugging them tightly. She wouldn't mind them choosing something for her. She had never had went shopping for something she wanted to get before, being raised in a very un-materialistic household and all, and if her two friends choose it for her, that would have made it all the more special. Three heads are better than one!

(~)

Twilight licked her lips as the vendor pony handed her a delicious looking oatburger and a smoothie. Her stomach was growling for some food and now she could enjoy it. She gave the vendor her bit and galloped ahead, ready to take the first bite…until she accidentally collided with somepony.

Her smoothie nearly fell to the ground until it was caught by a extended orange wing. For a moment, Twilight knew she had seen that coloring from somewhere. When she looked up she could feel her hunger temporarily leave her. Standing before her was none other than the handsome stallion whom she has had her eye on for quite some time now. She couldn't believe he was here. The stallion balanced the drink on his wing perfectly, he was so strong, and his blue eyes gazed into the purple ones of the princess, who blushed like mad.

"Oh, Princess Twilight!" the stallion greeted in surprise before handing her back her drink, which she levitated with her magic. "I-I didn't expect to run into you. I mean, I heard you were coming but I-" the stallion stammered with his words. He looked so nervous, which was odd since in the precious times they had greeted one another he wasn't this shy. "Anyway, I'm sorry for bumping into you like that, you're highness."

Twilight giggled, her face still blushing. "Yeah. We've got to stop bumping into each other like this. But, it's okay, really." the two ponies blushed and Twilight wanted to say more, but her nerves got the better of her. "So, what brings you here?" she amped up the courage to answer.

"I thought I'd check a few things out, nothing much." the pegasus pony, bit his bottom lip and trailed his hoof on the ground nervously. "I'm…gonna go over there now. It was nice speaking to you, princess." the pony started walking back, only to accidentally bump into another male pony, who glared at him in annoyance before walking off. The pony bowed and left, feeling completely humiliated.

Twilight couldn't believe he was here, and for a moment they spoke. Still, why was he so nervous around her? Did she say something wrong? Did he not like her? Was he intimidated by her tittle? She really wanted to know and she wanted to speak with him some more.

But, her insecurities prevented her from doing so. Why couldn't she form a proper sentence when around Flash Sentry?

(~)

Rarity galloped towards her country pony friend. "Oh, Applejack, I am _so_ glad I found you."

"Me too! You're not gonna believe it!"

The two friends began speaking simultaneously, "I found the absolutely perfect gift for Ikki, and all it's gonna cost is all our stuff!" the two ponies gasped in shock upon hearing what the other had just said. "Uh-oh."

"So, where is this absolutely perfect gift you want to trade everything we have for?" Rarity asked. Applejack led the unicorn to a nearby stand, where they were selling old household items, and one item in particular was a ragged old thing, with button eyes and stringy hair.

"There!" Applejack pointed with her hoof.

"Where?" Rarity asked, already feeling overwhelmed by all of the old house items such as old chairs, furnitures, lamps and so on.

"Right there!" Applejack turned her friend's head to the object she was referring to. Rarity cringed her nose at the sight.

"But… that's an old rag doll."

"It's not ragged! It's vintage!" the country pony explained, "This here is a one of a kind "Dolly Holly"! They don't make em like they used to."

"And with good reason." Rarity said under her breath. While the doll itself was in better condition than most old toys, the mare wore old clothing that had been out of style for decades, wore an old straw hat and the coloring wasn't as bright and colorful, but was still very much in better shape than most others. It was probably the only thing that brightened up the stand itself. But, Rarity wasn't sure if an old toy like this would be a perfect gift for Ikki's first Rainbow Falls Trader's Exchange.

Applejack took the toy into her hooves and shoved it against Rarity's cheeks. "It's also the softer doll they made! Ikki only had them old air nomad toys and old straw dolls made out of wood. This would be such a wonderful gift for the young airbender. Simple, yet in wonderful condition. Not too flashy, but not too old and worn. Plus, it was adorable, which Ikki would go nuts over, and the eyes were colored blue, which was Ikki's favorite color. She would love the fluffy dress and the hat for an accessory.

But, Rarity was still a bit hesitant. As sweet as the gift was and it did carry a few aspects Ikki would indeed like, in her eyes it was still a too old toy for Ikki to have. And as vintage objects went, it wasn't exactly the prettiest.

Rarity kindly removed the toy from her face. "I'm so glad you showed that to me, darling…" she said right before she levitated the toy and placed it back on the table. "...because once you see what I've found, you won't want to waste our trade goods on _that_." Rarity said with a giggle as she led Applejack to another stand nearby and showcased what she had found.

Just like Applejack, it was a toy, but instead it was of a beautiful plastic, playable, pink mare with the most gorgeous dress imaginable, long and elegant and a long mane and tail, styled and brushed to perfection, coming with additional accessories and extra cloths.

"Just look at this _gorgeous_ vintage "Mare Bonnie" doll! Complete with additional accessories and it's in much better condition than that old Dolly Holly one."

Applejack looked at the doll and arched nan eyebrow. Indeed, it was in much better condition, but it also appeared rather familiar. "It looked _exactly_ like the one you still have from when you were a little filly that you gave to Sweetie Belle. It's even got the same outfit on her. Ikki's already seen it."

"Well, yes, they may _look_ the same, but _I_ know it's older, and that's what makes it so much more divine. And Ikki can have her very own so she and Sweetie Belle can play with together."

"Wouldn't she feel better with a doll that's more her own instead of a copy paste of another one?Why, I'd wager if I switched them up, you wouldn't even know the difference!"

"Oh, don't be silly, of course I would! I have an eye for these sort of things."

"What's so bad about Dolly Holly? At you won't find any other like here. They're still makin' them Bonnie Mares. They're nothing all that special."

Rarity scoffed in anger, "Well, I'd say it's at least far more presentable than that old and worn ragged thing. What kind of gift is that for Ikki?"

"It's not ragged, it's vintage! And at least you can actually play with it."

"You can play with this one as well."

"It's made out of hard plastic, at least mine if soft, and just in good condition as that one."

"Well, we'll just let Ikki decide, won't we?"

The two ponies growled angrily at one another. They both wanted to get Ikki something special. Applejack's choice was more personal, while Rarity's was newer and better. As good friends as they were, they still couldn't agree on everything.

(~)

Speaking of growling, the Orthros was able to break apart the chain with their two mouths, their collars still tied to a pole. Rainbow Dash, Jinora and Meelo gulped as they approached the beast. Meelo didn't want to show he was scared, but it was clear Rainbow Dash was just as worried as he was. And with good reason.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, approached the beast calmly. Even when it started barking, she didn't even flinch. She placed her hoof underneath the chin of the saint bernard, which immediately made the two heads calm down as Fluttershy rubbed underneath one of their chins. Both began panting and the second head stuck out his tongue in delight.

The three friends watched in amazement as Fluttershy began rubbing the creature's belly, making his tail wag with delight. "Yes, such a good two-headed boy. Yes, you are!"

"Wow. She's good." Meelo said, his eyes wide in awe.

"Yea. And I thought Korra was good with giant animals." said Jinora.

Hearing the commotion, the owner of the stall walked outside, his eyes widening at seeing the beast tamed by this gentle looking pegasus mare. Rainbow Dash spoke to the buff gray pony. "Okay, I can see you're busy, so I'll give it to you straight." she pulled out the only item she had to trade with. "I need to trade this horseshoe for…_that_." she said, pointing at the Orthros.

"Nope." the pony answered with a straight face.

"Why not?!" Meelo asked in exasperation.

"You're gonna have to get me something better than a-Hey! Down, boy!" the pony ordered the creature, who was snapping its jaws and shaking a tall lamp in its two mouths. "Watch out for the lamp!" upon his command, the now slightly more trained creature released the lamp, which broke and shattered. It was his favorite one.

"Well, I could use another lamp."

"You got it!" Meelo said rather quickly, before giving Rainbow Dash a hoof pump. They had seen a whole bunch of lamps when they first arrived. This will be easy to trade.

(~)

The group arrived at a stall where they sold…the most peculiar of lamps. They were almost all styled to look like the spirit of chaos himself. "A whole stand filled with _Discord-shaped lamps_? Seriously?!" Rainbow Dash said upon seeing the display.

"They really do have _everything_ at the Traders Exchange." Fluttershy said.

Meelo them approached the owner of the stall, who was a chocolate brown colored pegasus with a black mane and tail, both stripped with purple and purple eyes with a cutie mark of a sun symbol, consisting of a pink circle surrounded by either triangles; four large, purple ones, and four small, light pink ones. His back were were on walking wheels, since he couldn't walk on them. The young airbender immediately got his attention.

"Can you trade a lamp for my friend's horseshoe so we can trade it for an Orthros and get a book?"

"No." the pegasus replied, making Meelo drop his jaw, dangle his arms and face palm himself. Rainbow Dash mimicked his gesture by hoof palming herself. "But I'd trade it for an antique chicken." said the wheelchair bound pegasus pony.

"Great!…" Both Meelo and Rainbow exclaimed with glee, until. "What's an _antique_ chicken?"

(~)

"Oh, I got all kinds of antique chicken statues." the owner of the antique chicken stall said to the group. "I got your blue hens, speckled grays, your-"

"Okay, cool!" Rainbow interrupted, already loosing her patience, "So will you trade one for a horseshoe so I can trade it for a lamp and then trade it for an Orthros so I can get my book?"

The tall brown pony with glasses and sleek hair pondered. "Well, lemme think... Uh, no."

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Jinora and Meelo all groaned in disappointment. "Aww…"

"But I'd gladly trade one of my chickens for a crystal chalice."

(~)

Rainbow Dash and Meelo speeded their way towards the crystal chalice stall, owned by a lovely mare with blue eyes, pale yellow coat and light cyan hair with white streaks. She looked as elegant and friendly as Rarity. Fluttershy landed beside them a few moments latter with Jinora walking up calmly.

Meelo placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air, while Rainbow Dash spoke. "Hold on a sec." the pony inhaled deeply before speaking, "We need a crystal chalice to trade for a chicken to trade for a lamp to trade for an Orthros. So what are you willing to trade for it?"

"I'm guessing it's gotta be some crazy thing _way_ across the Exchange." Jinora said, already becoming familiar with the pattern forming here.

"Please have mercy on us, please!" Meelo begged as he got on his knees and held his hands together in a prayer formation and hung his head as a sign of mercy.

"Actually, I could use a slightly rusty old horseshoe." the owner said with a smile.

"Yeah, like where am I gonna find– wait, I've got one of those!" Rainbow Dash pulled out the horseshoe and gave it to the pony, who in turn gave her the chalice.

Meelo jumped up with glee, "Yeah! Now that we've got the chalice, this is gonna be a piece of cake!"

"Do you really think so?" Fluttershy asked.

"Totally! All we gotta do is bring this thing to the chicken stand and we are–" but the moment Meelo touched the crystal chalice…it began to fracture and broke into a million pieces right before their eyes.

Upon seeing this, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Jinora and Meelo all screamed in terror! How were they going to get the book now?!

(~)

Twilight still refused to come out from behind the stall. "Twilight, you can't stay back there all day." said the Avatar.

"Is he out there?"

"No, I haven't seen any sign of him since you bumped into him." seeing the pony wasn't going to come out, Korra pulled on her tail and pulled the pony back into the open. The princess was still covering her eyes in humiliation.

"What happened back there? Did I say something wrong? Did I intimidate him?"

"Maybe he was just nervous." Korra replied calmly. "Some guys get like that. I remember my first date with Mako. The poor guy was a nervous wreck. A _cute_ nervous wreck, but still. Why don't you go and talk to him again?"

"And make a complete fool of myself again? No thanks!"

"Twilight, you're going to have to talk to him sooner or latter. You see him all the time at Canterlot and during those royal events with the princesses."

"I know but-" Twilight was interrupted when a little gray pegasus filly came over to the stall with a broken quill in her mouth, made out of a red feather. This was the perfect excuse to change the subject. "Oh, hello there. Can we help you?"

The little filly pointed her hoof at all the books in the stall and then pointed to the broken pen in her mouth. The two friends immediately caught on to what the silent little filly was trying to say.

"You want me to trade _all_ my books for a broken pen?" Twilight asked in surprise. The filly nodded her head in the most adorable way. Twilight and Korra looked at one another and simply shrugged. They had already given plenty of the books to Jinora and Korra already had plenty, plus the library still needed more free space, and they didn't need these anymore so…

"Okay, sure." Korra said, "You got yourself a–"

"Stop! What are you doing?!" Pinkie Pie came rushing over, coming in between the girls and the filly.

"I _was_ trying to get rid of all the books I don't need anymore." Twilight responded.

Pinkie Pie looked at the broken pin in the filly's mouth. "For _that_? Do you _reaaaaally_ want that?"

"Well, not really, but I'm running out of library space, so–"

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!" Pinkie Pie began jumping around frantically before clinging onto Korra's side as if she were jumping away from a spider. "I can't believe that almost happened! But luckily, it didn't happen, thanks to me."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked as she removed the pony from her body, who them flipped out of her grasp and landed on the ground. Pinkie Pie then pulled out a long scroll from above, which listed all the rules of the Exchange.

"According to the rules of the Exchange, a trade is only fair if both ponies end up with something they want." she rose the scroll back up, making it disappear and clapped her hooves on both sides of Twilight's face, pressing her cheeks. "You can't break the rules!" the pink pony speeded away, and Twilight rubbed her cheek, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Did anypony see you do it? I don't think anypony saw!" Pinkie's eyes landed on the filly, who smiled and raised her hoof up. Pinkie gained up on the poor child, their noses touching. "But _you're _not gonna say anything, _are you_?!" Pinkie asked in an intimidating tone, which made the filly reel back in fear until the older pony started laughing. Switching from happy to angry in a matter of seconds. "Haha, I'm just kidding! _Or am I_?! Sometimes I can't even tell!"

Seeing the frightened little filly, Korra approached her gently petted her head. Korra then stuck her hand into Pinkie's mane, where she found one of her stashes of cookies and handed it to the filly, who smiled and took the sugary treat in her mouth before galloping away.

"Y'know, if you want to go check out the rest of the Exchange and trade whatever you brought…" The Avatar began to say.

"Nope, I just came to pony-watch! I'm not going anywhere. I won't let you make a mistake like that again!" Pinkie Pie zipped away, now sporting a hat and bow tie, as well as a fake mustache and a wooden podium, which had an image of Twilight on it. The pony began speaking like a carnival host and a heard of ponies came to see what all the commotion was about. Even a few crystal ponies came to see.

"Hey, everypony, step right up! Do not walk! _Gallop_ over here for your chance to trade for authentic, one-of-a-kind, official princess merchandise!"

Twilight groaned as Korra placed a sympathetic hand on her head. "I wonder how the others are doing right now." Twilight thought out loud.

(~)

Ever so gently, Rainbow placed the last piece of the crystal chalice together. The group had their hair, cloths, fur and wings all covered in tape and blue in an effort to fix the broken chalice. The lines of the cracks were still visible, with traces of glue oozing from the sides, and the tape was visibly seen, making it look like it was bandaged.

"Well, that took forever." Rainbow Dash said while Jinora removed the tape from the pony's mane.

"I just hope it looks okay." Fluttershy said hopefully.

"Only one way to find out." Meelo gently took the chalice, nearly loosing his balance in an effort to keep steady, and so Jinora took it instead.

"Maybe _I_ should be the one to carry it this time." the older sister gently carried the chalice all the way back to the antique chicken stall, and placed it in front of the pony, who was polishing the statues. She and the others waited anxiously for his response.

"This is perfect!" the pony said with a wide smile…right before he smashed the already pieced back together chalice with a hammer, much to the shock of the others. "Perfect for the broken chalice mosaic I'm making!" the pony showcased the group the said mosaic of a chicken laying on a sofa, modeling. Jinora instinctively covered Meelo's eyes, keeping him from seeing the strange image.

"Alright, so what kind of antique chicken do you want? I got speckled, brown, gray…"

"Oh no! The pony we're supposed to trade the chicken statue to didn't tell us what kind he wanted!" Rainbow exclaimed with worry.

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash." Jinora said, "Just fly back to the lamp stand and find out what kind of chicken he wants. We'll stay here and make sure no other chicken gets traded."

"Thanks, Jinora!" the pegasus didn't waste a second and flew as quickly as she could. Not too long after she left, one pony approached the stand, but was stopped when Meelo gained up on him.

"Keep moving, pal!" he exclaimed in the most intimidating voice he could master. It was enough to frighten the pony who then galloped away. The airbender cracked his knuckles and smiled proudly. "Alright, who else wants to mess with the Meelo?"

Jinora only rolled her eyes while Fluttershy watched in concern as they waited for Rainbow Dash.

(~)

Back with Ikki, she kept looking back and forth from the pretty Mare Bonnie to the Dolly Holly. In all honesty, she liked both. If she could get the two of them she would, but each one would require all of the materials her friends had brought. Oh, how she wished she could magically put both toys together to make a truly amazing one. Buying things was hard.

"What do you think, darling?" Rarity asked the indecisive child.

"Honestly, they're the best things I've seen all day! They're both very pretty. Bonnie has very nice hair, but Molly is so soft! I like Bonnie's dress, but Molly's eyes are my favorite color. I really don't know."

It was then the two ponies realized what they had done. "What were we thinkin'?" said Applejack, "We shouldn't be putting so much pressure on Ikki like this."

"You are absolutely right, dear." Rarity said with a nod. "Since we can't get both, I will gladly allow you to make the trade to get Ikki the doll she wants. Whichever one it is."

"Oh, no I can't." said Applejack, tossing their stuff towards Rarity, "You wanted to get her something as much as I did. You should get her the doll he wants. Bonnie or Molly."

"That's very kind of you, darling, but I'll be the better friend here. You take our trade goods and get your gift."

"I'm an amazin' friend!" Applejack exclaimed back, "_You_ take our stash and so _you_ can give Ikki the doll."

"How dare you be so giving one. What kind of friend do you think I am? You are going to be the giving one!"

"No, you are!"

"No, you are!"

Back and forth, the two ponies pushed the two stashes with their hooves in a repetitive pattern as Ikki watched. She knew they had good intentions, and now they were trying to be unselfish by allowing the other to be the one to get her a wonderful gift. Even if they were doing it in a strange way, but it was the thought that counts. Looking at the two dolls gave Ikki and idea. She smiled and quietly snuck away to catch up with a certain earthbender.

(~)

"Hello!" Rainbow Dash cried out, tapping her hoof on the table of the lamp stall, and placed the statue on the surface. "We got the kind of chicken you asked for! Hello? Where's the pony running this joint?"

"I'd say, on break." said Jinora, after reading a sign that was hanging off of one of the polls holding the tarp up/

"What?!" Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration. At this rate she would never get her book. None the less, they hurried their way to find the pony.

(~)

Back with Twilight and Korra, Pinkie Pie had turned the humble stall into a bitting circle, with ponies all around anxious to get their hooves on one of the princess's books. "You have to admit, she really knows how to reel in a crowd." Korra said. She was sitting cross legged on the ground beside Twilight, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, and her elbow on her knee as they listened to Pinkie Pie continue advertising the simple books.

"These books made Twilight the princess she is. Before that, she was nothing – a big, fat zero!"

"Hey!" Twilight exclaimed in annoyance.

"Then she read these books, and voila! Princess!" Pinkie said once she removed her hat, to reveal a golden crown to visually emphasize her point.

"That's not how it happened." Korra stated, only to have Pinkie PIe zipped towards her and whisper in her ear.

"I know, but it gets their attention." Pinkie said before zipping back to the podium. "So who wants to start the bidding?"

The entire crowd of ponies began to chatter excitedly, calling out; "Me! Me! Me!" while holding their trading goods for the pony. Twilight had had just about enough of this and walked up to the podium, raising her hoof upwards to the crowd.

"Uh, just a moment, please!" she said and turned to her friends, speaking with sincerity. "Pinkie, I appreciate your help and all, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this. Nopony should trade for my books just because I'm a princess. I'm not better than anypony else!"

Her words were enough to silence the crowd. One of Twilight's most honorable tropes was her humility and honesty. But, that wasn't going to help them get rid of the books. Pinkie PIe spoke in a hushed tone into the princess's ear. "I _know_ you're not better than everypony! Just leave this to me!" she shoved Twilight aside and went back to the bidding. "Did I mention that _Princess_ Twilight got these books from _Princess_ Celestia?"

A crystal pony's eyes widened in awe. "Whoa, wait, you don't mean–"

"Oh, that's right! Double princess!" Pinkie Pie placed another crown, one resembling Celestia's, and placed it right above the one she was already wearing. Once again, the crowd cheered loudly and continued the bidding.

All Korra and Twilight could do as face and hoof palm themselves.

(~)

Rainbow Dash and Flutteshy landed on the ground, just as Jinora and Meelo arrived on their air scooters before dismounting them and the scooters themselves disappeared. The younger airbender gripped his belly. "I'm getting a little hungry too." he said.

"No time!" Rainbow exclaimed, her eyes still looking around for the wheelchair bound pegasus pony until she finally saw him in the line, waiting to buy some food from the stand.

"There he is!" Rainbow dashed ahead, not even bothering to wait for her friends, who followed shortly after she speeded away. She finally made it to the pony and tried to plea with him. "Look, I know it's your break and all, but you've gotta open your stand so we can trade you for a lamp!"

The pony heard his stomach rumble. "Sorry, guys. Been trading all day. My belly's tellin' me it's time to eat an oatburger."

"Oh come on, please?"

"Pretty pretty please?" Fluttershy also pleaded.

"Pretty pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?" Meelo said, him, Jinora, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all pouted their quivering lips as their irises increased in size, shimmering and making them look like little puppies.

"Sorry, belly says 'no'." the pony responded firmly.

"But the Exchange ends at sundown!" Rainbow reminded him, pointing towards the sun, which was already begging to lower down in the sky, signaling it was getting late in the afternoon already.

"No!"

If her patience wasn't already wearing thin, they most certainly were now. All day, Rainbow Dash had to fly from one place to another, trading an assortment of items just to get her book. She wasn't going down that easily. She was no quitter, not even in this. She looked at the long line of ponies waiting for their meals, and the pegasus pony was only halfway there. There was already a number of ponies ahead of him. It would take a while until he could attend to them, but it would be too late by then.

"I've got an idea." Rainbow Dash said and led the way once more.

"Care to fill us in?" Jinora asked.

"Just follow my lead!" the pegasus replied and they all headed to the kitchen of the food stall, where she handed Fluttershy the spatula, Meelo the frying pan and Jinora the bread buns. Her plan was to make it so they speeded up the process.

The owner of the stall was surprised to see another freshly made bag of oatburgers into the mouth of an awaiting costumer. The pony happily galloped away with her meal.

"Next!" Rainbow called out and tossed Fluttershy more oatburger patties, which she cooked with the spatula, while Jinora cooked another batch, speeding up the process even more than before, much to the vendor's delight. Both Flutters and Jinora tossed the patties to Rainbow and Meelo, who both took them into the bums, along with the lettuce and tomatoes and threw them into the bags, and each one they tossed into the mouths of the paying costumers, watch one galloping along with delight at the literal fast food.

(~)

Finally, they gave the pegasus his chicken, and the Discord lamp to the owner of the orthros, who smiled at his new item, and that meant the friends could finally have the legendary two headed creature. Meelo got himself an oatburger, satisfying his hunger.

"You know, these things aren't half bad." he said before taking another large bite.

Jinora cringed at the sight. "Whatever you say, Meelo." she said and grunted as she, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash tried to pull the creature's leash towards the stall where the book was waiting.

"Finally! We're home free!" Rainbow Dash was then pushed to the ground by the orthros, which slobbered all over her, covering her mane with drool. "As long as this thing doesn't drown us in slobber."

"Oh, he's just an affectionate little two-headed fellow. Aren't you, little boy?" Fluttershy scratched the chins of the lovable two-headed creature.

"You know, he is kind of cute." Jinora admitted, only to have one of the heads lick her face, making her giggle. It was no different from being licked by Naga or a Oogie.

(~)

"No, _I_ insist. You get her the doll, 'cause that's the kind of tried and true friend I am." Applejack said, pushing the stash back at Rarity.

"Well! I am way too generous to let you out-friend me like that! Wait, where's Ikki?"

The two ponies stopped their "argument" and realized that the airbender was missing.

"Ikki? Where'd ya go?" Applejack asked. The girl wasn't seen anywhere. When the two ponies looked at one another, only then did they finally come to their senses.

In their efforts to be unselfish for their friend, they ended becoming selfish in an ironic twist. A very sad ironic twist. Now, they had to find Ikki and fix their mistake.

(~)

The group led the orthros through the crowd, only to see the safari pony at the farthest end, already packing her things. "We gotta hurry!" Rainbow said as she tried to lead the others through, but with the Exchange already almost to an end, more and more ponies were walking around, packing their things and getting ready to leave. Normally, Rainbow Dash would fly on over, but they also had the orthros, and if Rainbow showed up without it, then the pony would never give her the book now. So, unfortunately, Rainbow Dash had to walk. But this already increasing crowd was making it difficult.

"We're never gonna get to the Daring Do stand through this crowd in time!"

Fluttershy began thinking of a way to help. Rainbow Dash has come this far, she didn't want her to be disappointed. It was then she remembered the bell call whistle she had brought to trade. Inhaling deeply, she blew into it, and the small device released the most powerful bear sound anypony had ever heard. Immediately, the crowd of ponies ran off in fear, believing the orthros was going rapid, and even the safari pony hid behind her stand. With the path all cleared up, Rainbow Dash yanked onto the beast's leash and led the creature towards the stand before the ponies returned.

In the process, Fluttershy dropped her bear call whistle, and with her hoof tied to the end of the leash so she could control the beast, which was already being pulled by Rainbow Dash, she couldn't go back to get it.

"My bear call!" she said as she watched the ponies walk on by before she could no longer see the bear call anymore.

"We gotta go!" Rainbow said, not paying attention to her friend loosing the whistle as she pulled harder on the orthros with Meelo's help.

Jinora was the only other person who noticed this and was just about ready to give Rainbow Dash a lecture. "Rainbow, how can you not-"

"No, it's okay, Jinora." Fluttershy said calmly. "It's just a bear call. There's nothing I could have traded it for that's more valuable to me than Rainbow's happiness."

Finally, Rainbow had the orthros in front of the stall. "Okay, the Exchange is almost over, but we did it. We traded a crystal chalice for an antique chicken…"

"And the chicken for a lamp…" Fluttershy added.

"And the lamp for an Orthros, just like you asked." Meelo added, last, right before receiving an affectionate lick from the creature.

"So there you go! Now where's my book?" Rainbow asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Finally, after this wild and craze journey, she was finally going to get her book.

"Yeah, you know, the thing is... I don't really want an Orthros anymore." said the safari pony.

Rainbow's wings stopped flapping, but her face was frozen in her smile. Not even blinking, while Meelo was jaw dropped and Jinora and Fluttershy was baffled by this twist of events.

"But-but-but-you…" Jinora trailed off, her left eye twitching and Rainbow Dash finally unfroze and groaned before fainting. She was only woken up by the orthros's slobber landing on her face.

"Argh! Ugh…"

Fluttershy petted the creature, "Good boy!"

_**"Do you have any idea what we had to do to get you this thing?!**_" Jinora exclaimed in furry. The always patient child had finally lost it. Her eyes burned with anger and her hair was already becoming a mess. Meelo fearfully hid behind the orthros, who whimpered in fear.

"I've been watching that thing over at the ancient beast booth! It's crazy! I don't want one in my house!" the safari pony said.

Orthros growled at the pony's comment but quickly calmed down when Fluttershy rubbed his chin. "There, there, that's a good Orthros. You just have to know how to train them. With a little patient training and a big slobber mop, they can be a wonderful household pet."

The orthros approached the pony, who reeled back in fear of the beast attacking her, but instead the two heads began to lick her like a happy little puppy dog. All fears went away as the pony started to laugh at the ticklish licks and her body became slobbered with drool. "Ha, ha, ha! All right, all right. I'll trade you."

"Yes!" The pony pulled the Daring Do book from her box, and Rainbow Dash had never felt more relieved in her life. It was just so beautiful. She even began licking her lips and drooling just like the orthros.

Jinora only sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Glad that's finally over." she said.

"If _she_ comes and stays with us in Manehattan until it's trained!" the safari pony said as she pointed a hoof at none other than…Fluttershy.

Meelo and Jinora gasped in shock and Fluttershy only stood there in shock as well, but more so with deep concern.

"What?!" the airbenders exclaimed in horror.

"You can't take Fluttershy!" Meelo said as he stood in front of the pony, shielding her from the pony.

"Who else is going to train the orthros?" the pony said, still holding the book in Rainbow's face. The pegasus's eyes were practically glued to the book, her tongue still sticking out and drooling.

Fluttershy reconsidered, "Gosh, training an Orthros takes a long time. I'll probably be gone from Ponyville for... I don't even know how many moons!" her cyan eyes looked at Rainbow Dash, who was so determined to get the book all day long. If she said 'no' then her friend wouldn't get what she had worked so hard for. Besides, Rainbow's happiness meant more to her than anything.

"Fluttershy, you can't be serious!" Jinora exclaimed before turning back to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, are you even listening? Rainbow! Earth to Rainbow Dash!" the airbender waved her wand in front of the pony's face, but she was still too fixated on the book to even notice.

"It's okay, Jinora." Fluttershy said to the child. "Rainbow has worked so hard to get that book. How can I let all of that go to waste. I'll never forgive myself if I let that happen."

"But, Flutterhy."

"So we got a fair deal?" asked the safari pony, still holding the book.

"Of _course_ it's a deal!" Rainbow Dash snatched the book from the pony's hooves and flew up into the air, laughing with glee and doing a victory dance in mid flight. "Yeah-eah, whoo! I did it, I did it! Fluttershy, can you believe it?"

"Nooooo! Fluttershy, don't go!" Meelo began to cry as he held onto Flutterhy's long tail, being dragged across the floor while the pony walked away with the safari pony and orthros. Rainbow's eyes widened and reality hit her like a tidal wave. She had been so entranced over getting the book that, for a moment, reality had left her. Now that she had returned, her heart broke and she felt like she wanted to hit herself a million times for her stupidity.

"Rainbow, what did you do?!" Jinora exclaimed from a few feet bellow, tears already swelling in her eyes.

"What _did_ I do?!" Rainbow asked herself as she held the book close. Having it now wasn't as satisfying anymore.

(~)

"Who's got something valuable enough to trade for _Princess_ Twilight's _princess_ books that she got from _Princess_ Celestia? Did I say "princess"?"

Pinkie Pie continued her book auction, but had yet to give away a single book. She was busy trying to make the books so desirable she was making the purchase of them nearly impossible. No other item was good enough for these "princess books". The Exchange was nearly over, and not a single book was given away.

"Over here, over here!" one pony cried out as he levitated a large ruby with his horn. Pinkie Pie inspected the jewel, but dismissed it.

"Oh, come on! These are the books the princess would sit up with all night, with nothing to read by but the light of her own horn!" the pink earth pony said dramatically while tapping the tip of an unamused Twilight's horn.

One pony rose up a green pony toy, which caught Pinkie's attention. "Ooh, now that looks fun– but not fun enough! These are the books that made Twilight the princess she is!"

Twilight only scoffed, until she noticed something strange…Korra had been silent for a while now. The Avatar had eventually resulted to reading a few of the books. The human girl laughed as she flipped through the pages. Twilight wondered why Korra was laughing since the book wasn't even a comedy, but a history book of mythical creatures. It as then when Twilight remembered when she first started reading that book. It was on the same day she, Korra and Spike were making the dragon's famous home-made nachos. She could still feel the gooey cheese in her mane and behind her ears. After that, they sat down and Korra became entranced by the book. Now she knew why Korra was laughing; The book reminded her of that moment. Suddenly, everything became clear.

"So who's got what it takes to trade for them?" Pinkie Pie asked the audience, all of which had something to trade for, but no matter what nothing was ever good enough for them.

"Well, when you put it like that…" said one pony among the crowd. The others realized that just standing around trying to get themselves a princess book was a waste of time na decided to take their business elsewhere.

Pinkie PIe frantically tried to get them all back but to no avail. "Wait, stop, come back! Uh, these books aren't that great…" she said with a nervous giggle.

"Oh, yes, they are." Korra said once she was done reading the book and placed it back on the stack of books.

"I couldn't agree more." Twilight said with a wink.

"But I thought you wanted to get rid of them!" Pinkie said in confusion.

"None of those ponies had anything valuable enough to trade for my books. Not because these books belong to a princess, but because they helped make me who I am. Just like you said." she levitated one book from the table, smiling at the memory it held. "This was the one I was so absorbed in the day Spike decided he owed Applejack a life debt."

Korra then took another book from the table as well, "And this one reminds me of the day I got it – which was the day I first came to Equestria."

Twilight held the book she was levitating close to her heart. "I may not ever need to read these again, but that doesn't mean they don't have value."

"And we never would have realized that if not for you, Pinkie."

As it would seem, Pinkie Pie did help them out after all. "I told you I'd take care of everything!"

"You sure did, Pinkie." Korra said with a chuckle. The three were about to participate in a group hug until Rainbow Dash came crashing down from the sky, and landed on Twilight.

"Twilight! I need you to say a trade wasn't fair! Fast!"

(~)

Twilight Sparkle sat at the royal box seat, onto of a regal throne while wearing her crown. Korra stood nearby with the airbender children at her side, looking in with worry. Even Bolin, with his large sack of items, was there as well. A crowd of ponies gathered as the princess tried to settle the disagreement. Rainbow Dash, the safari pony, Fluttershy and the orthros stood before the princess. After a few moment of talking about the situation, Twilight gave everypony her final say in the matter.

"I've heard what you both have to say, and I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but my hooves are tied. You said it was a fair trade."

"How is that a fair trade?!" Korra called out, only to be met by several more eyes that looked at her in surprise due to her outburst. "What?"

"No, Korra. Twilight's right." Rainbow Dash said, "I did say it was a fair trade, but I was wrong! I did want that book, a lot. I said I wanted it more than anything in all of Equestria. But there's no thing that's worth as much to me as a friend." the pegasus pony smiled at her fellow pegasus on the opposite side, who smiled in return. Throughout this entire ordeal, Fluttershy had been a true selfless friend. She realize now she never should have taken that for granted. "I might have forgotten that for a little bit, but it's true. Which means there's no way this trade can be fair!"

"Oh, come on, that's…" the safari pony spoke, sounding as if she were about to object to the matter. Only to have her eyes fill up with tears. "…the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Okay, the trade's off!"

The crowd cheered happily as Rainbow Dash returned the book and tackled Fluttershy with a hug, only for the orthros to jump onto them and both heads licked their faces.

Korra sighed in relief and Twilight levitated a gavel, "And with that, I declare this trial, and this year's Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange, over!" the princess banged gavel, signaling the end of the Exchange, and more cheering was heard.

The airbender children embraced Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in a hug and Bolin lifted them all up, smiling happily. In the end, everybody did get what they wanted.

Well, almost everybody.

A certain young stallion watched the princess from afar. He was still much too timid to approach her, and it was already time for him to leave. He hoped someday, somehow, there could come a chance for him to bravely speak to her.

He hoped that chance would present itself one day soon, and when it did, he promised himself he would take it.

(~)

Back on the train ride home, where moon had finally made its way into the night sky, everybody happily marveled at what they had received. Spike got a brand new mint edition comic, Bolin got a bag-load of stuff, and Twilight still kept her books, for which she, Korra and Jinora were all reading together.

"You know I was never really going to let Fluttershy leave with that pony, right?" the princess said to the Avatar, giving her a knowing grin.

"I know. I just got caught up in the moment." Korra gave the alicorn a boogie, making her giggle. "You little egghead, you!"

But, the only two ponies were not so happy were Rarity and Applejack. Ikki walked up to them with her hand behind her back.

"We're so sorry, Ikki." Applejack said. "We really did wanted to get you something special for you, but we just made it about ourselves in the end."

"Can you ver forgive is?" Rarity asked hopefully, her blue eyes shimmering.

"Of course I can forgive you guys!" Ikki said with her signature wide smile. "In fact, you guys made me realize I don't need any of that stuff. I always have the best gift ever. Your friendship."

The two ponies smiled. "Awwww!"

"Besides, I asked Bolin to share with me a bit of his stuff to get you both something to show my thanks." Ikki pulled out two items, one for each of the two. "I found this rusty pie tin which the vender said was great for cooking pies, and it won't stick! And for Rarity, I found this really pretty broach and knew it would look beautiful on you."

The unicorn and country pony could only smile and cry tears of heartfelt joy as they marveled at the gifts.

"Ikki, this is so thoughtful." Rarity said, a single tear escaping her eye.

"I guess you can say I didn't get one thing from the Trader's Exchange…I got two!"

"Well, wonder what we're gonna do with this then." Applejack said once Rarity levitated what appeared to be the Dolly Holly doll, but wearing a dress that was a hybrid between Molly's and Bonnie's dresses, creating something new and lovely, and the hair was replaced with Bonnie's silky locks, and she kept the accessories. The two ponies had used their things to but both dolls to create something new and unique just for Ikki.

"But, I thought you couldn't get them both!"

"That's why we had to settle for a much less vintage Bonnie doll." said Rarity, "It still did the job." the unicorn levitated the gift to the young airbender, who hugged it tightly.

"It's beautiful! Thanks you guys!" the three friends embraced in a warm hug.

"Guess that proves who's the better friend." said Applejack, winking at Ikki.

Rainbow Dash, who was sitting behind them, smile proudly. "You guys are awesome, you know that? You each gave up what you wanted to get something for each other! That's the coolest thing a friend can do. Trust me, I know." Rainbow gave Flutterhy, Jinora and Meelo a wink in gratitude, a gesture the three returned.

"Hey, where's your double-doggie?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I traded it for something _way_ better." Rainbow said.

Fluttershy showcased a bird call whistle and blew on it. The sound of a bird twittering was heard and a little bird flew in through the open window.

"That's good." said Bolin, "Because there was _no way_ I was going to clean up after that thing."

"Bolin, what are you gonna do with all of that stuff?" Korra asked, pointing at his large bag. "And what exactly is in there?"

"Well, I kept on trading and trading and trading until I got all these!" the earthbender opened up his bag to reveal an assortment of little costumes for Pabu. "Wait till Mako sees a ferret now has an even bigger wardrobe than him!" he said with a laugh and Pabu stuck his head out of the bag, wearing a captain's hat and an eyepatch.

"Well, what do you know?" Twilight levitated a familiar looking book from her stash. "My copy of _Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue_. It's just a beat up old paperback, not a one-of-a-kind first edition…"

Rainbow Dash gasped with delight as the book was levitated towards her and she took it into her hooves. "Even better, because I can read this one with _all_ my friends!"

The entire group laughed along as Rainbow opened the book, ready to read the first page. This most certainly was a wild and strange day. But, in the end, the friends didn't really leave with what they thought they wanted.

They had gained something so much better that no old book, doll or any other material object could ever replace.

(~)

_"You know what, maybe I don't really need anything from the Trader's Exchange after all. Some of this stuff does have some value, and maybe that's what really matters._

_Besides, these things will come and go, but real friendship will always be more valuable than anything._

_Hope to see you guys for yet another…_

Tales of Equestria!


	18. Equestria Games

**A/N: Team Avatar will be present in the games, so I edited and updated a few previous chapters. This would technically be Bolin, Mako and Asami's first visit to the Crystal empire, while in the nightmare's return it was the second. Sorry for in inconvenience and I hope this clears up a few things. Okay, enjoy!**

**(~)**

_"Well, it's finally here! Pro-bending season has begun and I've got VIP seats! _

_Ah, I love sports. The thrill of competition, the crushing sting of defeat and the shinny trophies! Well, in this case it's more of a prize money really._

_And if you think this is exciting, wait until the Equestria Games start again this year! I hear Republic City will be hosting the games for once this year! Isn't that exciting?! _

_I just hope Spike doesn't chock again like last time. _

_What, you don't know that one? Oh, sit down kids, cause do I have a doozy to tell you!_

***(~)***

**Philippians 2:13~**

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

*(~)*

**Equestria Games**

At long last, the big day was finally here! After countless long months, the Equestria Games were finally here! It was already summer time for the Crystal Empire, so the snow was cleared up for now until the next winter, which would bring some unexpected surprises. But, that is a story for another time.

As for today, the train was nearing the empire. Rainbow Dash's feathers ruffled as she spotted the majestic palace up ahead. "This just got _real_!"

Mako, Bolin and Asami managed to tag along, with both the Sato heiress and the police officer finally getting some time off to see the games, which they had promised months ahead that they wouldn't miss it. The airbender children managed to coax their father to let them come, but he decided to decline the offer, sadly.

Bolin was already wearing a Crystal Empire cap and holding a little flag in his hand, cheering wildly. "Woohoo! The Equesria Games are finally here! And we get to see the Crystal Empire for the first time! I'm so excited!"

"I still can't believe a gorgeous place like that was lost for a thousand years." said Asami, her eyes looking up at the majestic castle before her.

"Where did Korra said we'd meet her?" Mako asked the blue furred pegasus.

"She said she'd help Twilight and Cadance with the preparations. We'll see them at the palace."

Ikki and Jinora were squealing like crazy, thrilled to see the empire for themselves. Their squealing was overshadowed, however, by the line of ponies already preparing for the games. Several were doing pushups, others were liftings weights, jumping jacks, wing-ups, pull ups, etc. There was do denying the commitment these ponies had to the games.

Even the CMC were excited to be carrying the flag for the start of the games. "I'm so excited!" said Sweetie Belle, jumping up and down with glee.

"I hope we do a good job." said Apple Bloom with much concern in her voice.

"You girls will do great." Mako said with a smile, his back leaning against the wall of the train as the scenery passed by on the window beside him.

"Uncle Mako, did you ever feel this nervous before a pro-bending match."

"All the time." he said before kneeling down to their level. "But I always reminded myself, so long as I focus on the game and not the eyes watching, I would be fine. So just go out there and do your best, but most importantly, have fun." the firebender ruffled the pony's mane, making her giggle. He started to giggle was well once the three of them hugged him around his waist.

"Thanks, Mako!" Scootaloo said once they ended the hug. "Let's do this, Crusaders!"

"Yeah!" the three of them high hoofed each other before galloping to the other side to double check on their things and Mako straightened himself. His brother arched an eyebrow and smirked at him.

" "Have fun", hu? You never said that before a match."

"Well, maybe I should have." the firebender said, his face blushing bashfully.

"Awww, look at you being all daddy-like!" Bolin said and ruffled his brother's hair, much to his annoyance.

While the ponies continued preparing for the games, Rainbow Dash took this moment to give some words of encouragement. "Listen up, gang! We're almost there, so I've got a few things to say. First off, who here besides me thinks this is the best Equestria Games delegation in Ponyville history?"

The ponies cheered in response, while Bolin gave a "Woohoo!", Asami simply clapped her hands while Bulk Biceps did his famous; "_Yeah!"_

"And no matter what your sport is, we gotta give it our best, because we've all got a genuine shot at Ponyville gold!" Rainbow's wings flapped and she floated a few feet up in the air, the ponies and humans cheering even louder than before, especially Spike the little dragon and the airbender children.

"…With the possible exception of Bulk Biceps, Fluttershy, and me." Rainbow said humbly once she lowered down, and the two ponies she mentioned looked at her with concern. "I mean, we're good and all, but we're up against the Wonderbolts in the aerial relay, so gold's kind of a stretch. Let's not kid ourselves."

"Don't feel bad, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said, "_We_ have absolutely no shot at getting gold either!"

"Uh, that's because you're carrying the flag for Ponyville in the opening ceremony. There are no winners."

"Winners or not, we still have the chance to be awesome! And like Mako said, we just have to focus on the games not the hundreds of eyes watching, and have fun!"

"That's the spirit! And that's some pretty good advice, Mako. Who'd have thought." the pegasus said with a sly grin, which only made the firebender rolls his eyes and smirk. Even he could have his shinning moments. Rainbow Dash turned back to the others by flapping her wings. "You hear that, everypony? Winners or not, we all still have the chance to be awesome!"

The ponies cheered once more, and Bolin, Meelo and Bulk Biceps both exclaimed a proud; "_Yeah!_"

"But, uh, let's still try to win lots and lots of stuff too, 'kay?" Rainbow added, which prompted every pony to get back to their exercise. This was their chance to prove themselves, and they would make Ponyville proud.

(~)

The train came to a stop, arriving at the Crystal Empire train station/ The bell rang and the entire group of ponies exited the train. Mako stepped out, nearly hitting his forehead against the entrance. "They really need to adjust the size of these things." he said as he stepped out. The incident inspired Asami and Bolin to crunch down as they stepped out. Once they did, they couldn't believe their eyes.

The Crystal Empire was truly a sight to behold. Every building structure was made out entirely of crystals, coming from blue, to violets, pinks, greens and even a few sky blues and pale silver colors. The textures shimmered in the light unlike anything they had ever seen. All of this placed all of Asami's jewelry to shame.

Even the airbender children were entranced by it. "I never thought I'd say this, but pictures don't do it justice." said Jinora, her brown eyes sparkling at the sight.

Bolin's jaw practically dropped. "So…many…crystals…"

Ikki ever saw a few crystal ponies walk on by. Just as the name implied, they looked like normal earth ponies, but with coats made out of shimmering crystal texture. "Wow! Look at their coats! They look so…crystaly!"

Spike arched an eyebrow at the girl's choice of words. "Crystaly?" the little dragon strained as he tried to carry all of the luggage he carried on his back. This was usually his job, but no matter what, he would have liked it if others would help out. Thankfully, Mako, Bolin and Asami did just that.

The three humans grunted as they placed all of the bags down onto the luggage cart. "You sure we got everything, Spike?" Asami asked the little dragon.

"Yep! I double, tripled and quadruple checked! Leave it to Spike, champion gear-carrier for all your gear-carrying needs."

"And the Ponyville flag?" Apple Bloom asked. "You sure? And what about the flagpole?"

"In with the portable ramp!" Spike said, leaning against the pile which caused the wheels of the cart to push back a bit before stopping and he stripped, "Whoa!"

"Give it a rest, Apple Bloom." Scootallo said to her friend while placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Aw, she's just nervous, that's all." Spike said after he picked himself up and dusted the dust off of his scales, "Perfectly understandable."

"I know, I know." Apple Bloom said, "I just can't help it."

"Don't worry. Whenever I'm afraid I'll forget something or start to panic, I have a simple trick. I count to ten, and by the time I'm done, I've calmed myself enough to get the job done right every time. Easy-peasy, cider-squeezy!"

Suddenly, the group heard the sound of hooves rumbling and in a matter of seconds, two crystal pony stallions wearing shinning royal guard armor came galloping ahead, both carrying a chair on their backs. They swooped down and took the dragon, placing him onto the chair and galloped ahead.

"Hey! Put me down!" Spike cried out, his heart pounding fast at the sudden and unexpected abduction.

"What's going on?!" Jinora asked in a panic.

"Hey, that's our dragon!" Bolin cried out and ran off behind the ponies, with Asami and Mako close behind. The latter briefly stopped and turned his head to the children.

"You guys stay with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, we'll see you before the games start!" Mako cried out, his voice becoming distant the father he ran behind the two crystal ponies. It certainly was a struggle since they had four legs while the humans only had two.

Finally, the crystal guards came to a halt, stopping right in front of the Crystal Heart, which continuously spun around in between two crystallites, once rising upwards and another lowering down. The three humans managed to catch their breath once they arrived and the little dragon slid down from his chair once the two guards kneeled before the Crystal Princess Cadance herself. She was accompanied by Princess Twilight sparkle and Avatar Korra.

"Spike! Are you all right?" Twilight asked with concern, seeing the dragon covering his eyes in fear.

"A thousand pardons, O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious." said one of the Crystal Guard ponies.

"Huh? Who the what now?" Spike asked as he stood back up, rubbing his head in confusion.

Korra then noticed her three friends panting for air. "What happened to you guys?" she asked with concern and confusion.

Bolin tried to explain, while still catching his breath, "We…we're just…one second…okay…*deep breath*…we were chasing these guys after they abducted Spike."

"Sorry about that." Cadance replied with a kind smile, "The boys take their job very seriously. It's why they're so reliable. Thanks for bringing Spike to us." she said to the guards who bowed once again before leaving.

"It's okay, Spike. We'll have the hoofponies go back for your bags." Korra said as she led the dragon to the castle.

"Uh, can they hang back a second and tell me what's going on first?" he asked.

"Wow! Is that the Crystal Heart?" Mako asked in awe once he saw the shimmering object.

"Indeed it is." Cadance said as she approached him. "Our Empire's most important artifact."

"Oooh! Shinny!" Bolin's eyes widened and shimmered as he reached out his hand to touch it…only to get slapped by Korra. "Ow!"

"No touching the priceless magical artifact that has been lost for a hundred years!" the Avatar exclaimed sternly, making the earthbender reel back in terror.

(~)

"So, let me get this straight. Because Spike got the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance in time to save this entire empire from the destruction of a shadow unicorn king, he's this big shot hero?" Mako asked, arching an eyebrow as he watched the little dragon already getting the hero's treatment. He laid on a couch while a crystal pony fed him a variety of gemstones from a bowl and another pony fanned him with a palm leaf.

"That's right!" said the little dragon, after swallowing his latest gemstone. "More of the green ones, please? I like the green ones." he said to the pony feeding him, who gladly gave him the green stones.

"You are known throughout my empire as "Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious"." Cadance said while the dragon sucked on a green gemstone. He still couldn't believe it. In Ponyville he was an assistant, and here he was a big time hero who saved the empire. This was unreal.

"Isn't that awesome? You're a big shot here, Spike!" Twilight said as she led the dragon onto the balcony and pointed downwards. "See that? That's you!"

Spike's eyes widened and a big smile grew on his face. Down bellow was a big crystal statue of him, holding a replica of the Crystal Heart, while several crystal ponies took some pictures with it. Spike leaned against the railing, smiling in satisfaction at the likeness of the shimmering display.

"Hello, gawgeous!" he said, speaking in a la Barbra Streisand accent.

Bolin's eyes widened at the sight of it. "Wow! That is one big crystal dragon!"

"This is why we all hope you do us the honor of lighting the torch at the opening ceremony." Cadance said as she walked out onto the balcony while the pony who was fanning Spike with a leaf came out to fan him once more. "You'd be the very first dragon in the history of the Equestria Games to do so."

"Of course I'll do it! And - bonus - I can do it with my fire breath!" Spike gave a visual demonstration of this by breathing fire…which made the palm leaf the pony was using to fan the dragon. Spike laughed nervously at his slip up.

"So long as he doesn't burn the place down." Mako said, only to receive an elbow to the arm by Korra. "Ow!"

The Avatar shot him a glare before smiling at the dragon. "You're going to do great, Spike." she then let out a squeal. "Oh, I'm just so excited! I've been waiting months for these games!"

"And now the wait is finally over!" Twilight said with a wink.

(~)

The stadium was packed. Never had Mako seen so many ponies in one place, and with such variety. There were crystal ponies, pegasus ponies, unicorns, earth ponies from all trots of life, even a few griffons here and there. The playing field itself was shaped like a diamond, with everything already set up for the games. In a tall balcony stood the torch, majestic and beautiful, shimmering with its amethyst colored structure. In only a few minutes, Spike would light the torch.

Bolin and the airbneder children were already getting into the spirit of things, holding bags of popcorn, cotton candy, caps, mini flags and Meelo even had a soda drinking hat on him. He already gave himself three brain freezes in the past twenty minutes, but he loved it!

Asami waved a small flag and she and Bolin happily chatted. The two had become such good friends these past five months, and Mako was happy for it. He was always worried Asami still held some bad blood due to their breakup, but he was happy to see that she didn't. Sadly, he couldn't enjoy the moment as much as them.

Korra was invited to sit with the royals at the royal box seat alongside the other visiting dignitaries, dukes, duchesses, even Mayor Mare sat with them. The four royal princesses, Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Cadance sat at the highest on their respected thrones, each with a symbol of their cutie mark on the head of the chairs. Korra was surprised when she was asked to sit with them, and politely tried to decline, but found she couldn't. She was the Avatar, not a royal princess in this world so she didn't really hold any jurisdiction here whatsoever. Still, Twilight would have liked it if she wasn't alone. So in reality, Korra did this for Twilight.

Speaking of Korra, the Avatar arrived at the royal box seat and upon seeing the princess, she bowed in respect. Celestia nodded while Cadance, Twilight and Luna each waved enthusiastically, happy to see her. Korra let out a small giggle before sitting beside Twilight in a blue colored chair set up just for her. It was almost in the same form as the others, but not as regal looking, but still showed a sign that she was important.

"Thanks for being here with me." Twilight whispered to her friend.

"No problem." Korra whispered back. "I just wish the others were here too."

"Yeah, so do I. But, at least they're close." the alicorn gestured her head to only a few stands bellow, where they could see the rest of the Mane Six and Team Avatar, happily cheering on, awaiting for the procession which would commence in two minutes.

"Places for the procession, everypony! Two minutes!" Shinning Armor said to the group of ponies, each with their own flag, awaiting their cue. The prince wore his traditional Canterlot armor. The CMC were so excited, their nervousness had faded away, and now they couldn't wait to get started.

The Avatar and firebender locked eyes for a moment, both sharing the same disappointment. They were in the same place, but weren't together. However, the firebender himself would be sure to fix that soon enough.

(~)

Meanwhile, Ms. Harshwhinny led Spike down a corridor, reciting the instructions once more. "And you're _quite_ certain you also understand _exactly_ what you're supposed to do?" she asked, speaking in her dignified, and very, very harsh, tone.

"I stand where you tell me until you give me the signal, and then I walk over and light the torch."

"Mm. Couldn't be simpler."

As the two headed towards the open doors, the lights nearly blinded the dragon and once he stepped outside onto the balcony, his heart stopped. His legs became frozen and his muscles tensed up. The arena was most certainly larger than he had previously imagined. Too big, in fact. He had performed in crowds before, but never _this_ many. Ponies of all shapes and sizes cheered on as the dragon stepped outside, Some even chanting his name, calling him an assortment of names like "Our Hero!", "Spike the Great and Glorious!", chanting and chanting with no end in sight. Spike was so excited before that he had nearly forgotten just how many were counting on him. His throat felt wet, constantly gulping down saliva down his neck, feeling more like he were drinking loads of water.

Ms. Harshwhinny stopped when she noticed that Spike was no longer beside her, but instead froze in place. "Mr. the Dragon, are you coming?" she asked sternly, but the dragon's little body was shaking like a baby's rattle, his ears were lowered, his irises had shrunk and sweat dripped from his brow. Ms. Harshwhinny only scoffed, "Honestly. [out loud] Would somepony help him _walk_?" she said impatiently. This was very unprofessional indeed.

The two crystal guards from before came up and began shoving the dragon ahead. The heels of his feet scooting across the floor for he still couldn't get himself to move.

From down bellow, Shining Armor stood firm and regal, as a prince should, as he announced the next ponies to arrive. "Now, please welcome the delegation from Ponyville!"

At the entrance, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle held up a hoop with a piece of sheet with the insignia of Ponyville on it. "Ponyville forever! Yay!" they cheered and Scootaloo came shooting right out, tearing through the paper on her scooter, while carrying the Ponyville flag.

From the teared up paper, Rainbow Dash flew out, crying out, "Awesome!"

Fluttershy flew out cheering softly, "Yay."

Bulk Biceps flew out next, stretching his muscles while exclaiming proudly, "Yeah!"

Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity cheered on, as did Asami, Bolin and the airbender children. Mako cheered loudly, getting on his feet and whistling. "Woohoo! Yeah Ponyville!" realizing his enthusiastic outburst, the firebender blushed and quickly sat back down. Korra just giggled to herself. She liked it when Mako showed passion for something, and it was sweet it was towards these little fillies.

Even Twilight Sparkle was cheering, though in the very un-princess-like way imaginable. If anything, she was acting more like how Korra reacted at her first pro-bending match. At seeing the other princesses being more composed, Twilight towed it down a bit…only for Celestia to give a cheer herself, much to the others liking.

Scootaloo placed the Ponyville flag alongside the flash of all the others places and cities in Equestria before driving her scooter back to her friends, who all high hoofed each other in victory. All gamers and delegations were accounted for. The noise appeared to have increased according to Spike's ears. All he could hear were the roars and cries of the crowd. His body became even more tense and his knuckles clenched together, as did his teeth. He was so nervous he wouldn't even hear Ms. Harshwhinny stomping her hoof. When he did not respond she stomped again.

"This is the signal!" she said, repetitively stomping her hoof. "I'm giving you the signal _now_!" she said, but Spike only continued shaking and sweating. "Mr. the Dragon!" she called out, leaning forward into his ear, snapping him out of it.

Finally gaining the feeling in his legs, Spike began climbing up the stairs that lead to the top of the torch for which he would light up with his fire. "Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up." he kept on repeating to himself. Once he reached the top, he inhaled deeply, as deep as he could since the circle was indeed wide so he would have to give it his all. This was it, he couldn't mess this up.

But, once he released his breath, no fire came. All that did was a small puff of gray smoke followed by coughing. "Come on, Spike! Calm yourself!" he said, his eyes darting all around as the arena somehow seemed to grow larger and larger as well as louder. "Count to ten. One... two... three... thousand... fourteen thousand... Twenty thousand...! _Thirty thousand…!"_

His heart raced, his muscles tensed and his throat went dry. He couldn't breath fire, that would mean he would ruin the games for everypony! He would become a failure and a laughing stock. What would the others think of him? What would the princesses think?

From their seat, Team Avatar watched with worry. "Is Spike okay?" Asami asked with concern. "He's looking a little pale."

"He's not pale Asami, more of a light purplish." Bolin corrected. Only by receiving an arched eyebrow from the heiress did he finally understand. "Oooooh, you mean _that_ kind of pale. Yeah, he's not looking so good."

The rest of the princesses and the Avatar looked on in concern. "What's wrong?" Cadance asked.

Spike tried once more, inhaling deeply only to release a very weak breath and only a puff of green smoke. "Tell me this isn't happening…" he said, his body shaking, his teeth grinding, his body became still and his scales began to shake as swat dripped from every corner of his body.

Korra looked on at the poor little dragon, "Equestria, we have a problem." she said to the alicorn beside her, who shared her same concern.

Spike was a nervous wreck out there. He kept on inhaling and exhaling, but all that came out was a cough. Ms. Harshwhinny rolled her eyes impatiently. "Mr. the Dragon! Would you light the torch already?!"

"I don't know what it is, but I just don't have the stuff today! Did you bring a match?"

"You're a _fire_-breathing dragon."

Spike coughed once more, "Then some cough drops, maybe?" he asked in a raspy voice. But all Ms. Harshwhinny did was growl in disapproval. "Nevermind. I'll keep trying." Spike inhaled and exhaled, but still nothing came up.

Princess Cadance anxiously turned to one of her guards, "Somepony go down and help him!" she said. The guard bowed and galloped away to do as his princess ordered.

Spike opened and closed his mouth, clicking like a match in a desperate attempt to release some fire. No matter who hard he tried, he just couldn't. "Light! Light!" he chanted to himself and concentrated hard as to get the fire out.

Korra and Twilight knew they had to do something, but what could they do? If only they weren't so far away they could light the torch for him, but they couldn't….or could they?

Korra then remembered something she read in one of Twilight's books and whispered it into the pony's ear. The princess nodded and looked around, making sure nopony else was looking. As inconspicuously as she could, she activated her magic and cast a spell.

While Spike was struggling, he let out another desperate cry, "Light already!" as if by his command, a ring of fire emerged from the torch, startling the dragon and he nearly fell off, only to regain his balance moments latter, his face partly covered in scorch stains. The flames rose up before slightly dimming down, turning into a shimmering blue color around the torch. The flames danced in the surprised dragon's eyes.

The crowd cheered while Korra and Twilight sighed in relief. "Phew!"

Spike slid down from the ladder, to find a stunned royal guard, and an even more stunned Ms. Harshwhinny. "Oh! How did you do that?" she asked.

"I'm… not sure." Spike replied with uncertainty. He wasn't even sure what he did to light up the fire.

"Oh, well. Better late than never."

With the torch lit, Shining Armor proclaimed, "Let the games begin!"

As the crowd cheered for the start of the games, Spike looked on at the torch in curiosity. He knew the flames didn't come from his mouth, so…

Where did it come from?

(~)

After the first game was over, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Mako, Bolin, Asami and the airbenders were waiting outside of the crystal arena, where Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow greeted the CMC.

"Oh! There are our little superstars!" Rarity said as her little sister ran up to her, and the two hugged while Pinkie Pie jumped up and down with glee while holding a flag in her mouth. "You were fabulous!"

Apple Bloom ran up to her older sister, who hugged her as well. "Made me sit up proud like a cornstalk in August!" said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "Ya done good, squirt!"

"You three really were wonderful." Mako said with a proud smile, only to be surprised by a group hug form the three fillies. He happily returned the embrace.

Korra and Twilight also walked out to greet the rest. "Korra, did you see us our there?" Scootaloo asked the Avatar excitedly.

"I sure did. You really nailed it!" Korra said as she ruffled the little pony's mane the same way Rainbow did.

But there was one smiling face Twilight didn't see. "Hey, does anybody know what was going on with Spike?"

"He sure seemed to be having a tough time of it out there." Bolin said.

"He put things right in time, though." Asami said. Her words made the princess cringe with guilt.

"Actually, it was me." she confessed. I didn't want him to be embarrassed, so I cast a secret spell to light it for him."

"That was also my bad." Korra said, hanging her head down in shame. "I, might have suggested the spell to Twilight." she said with a guilty look on her face.

"So, what are you going to do about Spike?" Mako asked, "Have you even told him yet?"

"No, but he might have figured it out on his own." Twilight said.

"You gotta tell him, just in case." Applejack said.

"I know. I'm just afraid of how he'll take it. I know what pride he takes in a job well done."

Bolin then spotted the little dragon heading towards them. "Psst, here he comes now! Act casual!" he said. While everyone else just remained as they were, Bolin placed his hands on his hips and whistled a little tune, while Rainbow Dash put on a pair of sunglasses and crossed her hooves once Spike arrived.

"'Sup?" she said in a cool gangster fashion.

Korra was the first to call out to him. "Spike! Is everything okay?"

"I guess. I don't know." the little dragon said with uncertainty. "The weirdest thing happened down there."

Twilight and Korra shared the same guilty look and the princess proceeded to tell her friend the whole truth. "Yeah, about that. I–" but before she could continue, she was interrupted by Spike.

"I mean, there I was, trying to light the torch, with all of Equestria watching, and feeling like the hugest failure ever, and then the thing just lit! It was amazing!"

Twilight was relieved to see he wasn't disappointed, but he seemed to be taking the reality of the situation surprisingly well. "Oh, phew! I was afraid you'd be upset."

"Upset? Are you kidding? Why would I be upset to discover I can light fire... with my _mind_?"

"What?!" the entire group exclaimed in surprise. So, instead of Spike realizing it wasn't him who lit the torch, but that he thought he lit it with a new mind power?

"Uh, that's not what-" Bolin prepared to say, only to be silenced by Rainbow Dash and Mako who covered his mouth with their hand and hoof.

A couple of crystal ponies, a boy and girl, approached Spike, galloping excitedly. "Look, look, it's the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious!" said the male crystal pony.

"Can we get your autograph?" the girl pony asked.

"Sure!" Spike said happily and the pony handed him a photo of him and a pencil for him to sign.

"How you saved our Empire last time you were here was really amazing!" the boy pony said, sounding like such a fan-boy.

"Aw. You know what else is amazing? Watch this!" after signing the photo, Spike stared sternly at the paper, focusing all of his mental brain power on the target. He wanted to impress his fans with his new fire mind trick. But nothing happened. The two ponies looked at one another skeptically. Was this some kind of dragon trick or something?

Spike tried as hard as he could to light the picture on fire, trying to figure out how he did it back at the arena. "Don't worry. Once it bursts into flames through brainpower, I'll sign another one for ya. Promise."

Korra only face palmed herself. This was just too painful to watch. She took the inactive and walked on over to the dragon, picking him up and giving the two ponies their autographed photo. "Okay, Spike can we have a word with you for a moment?" she said and dragged the dragon away as he called out to his fans.

"Hey, you'd better be careful with that! It might burst into flames later! Delayed reaction." he cried out to the two confused ponies. Korra carried Spike a few feet away, with Twilight in tow. The Avatar placed him right back down. "Hey, Twi, Korra, what is it? Hold on, hold on, give me a second…" the little dragon began rubbing his temples, "If I can set fire to stuff with my mind, mind-_reading_ must be just around the corner! And I predict that you are about to ask me... to set fire to something with my mind!"

"Yeah, no." Korra replied with a deadpan expression before shifting it back to concern. "Spike, you can't light fire with your mind."

"Oh, really? So how do you explain what happened down there in front of thousands and thousands of–"

"I did it, Spike." Twilight confessed, placing her hoof over her heart. "I cast a spell to do it for you."

"In front of... thousands and... thousands…?" Hearing this immediately made Spike's previous confidence suddenly melt away. This whole time he thought it was he who lit the torch, but in reality…it was all just a big trick that he could't even take credit for.

"I'm sorry, Spike. We just couldn't stand to see you stuck like that! You understand, don't you?"

"I… I... I need to be alone right now." with tears in his eyes, the heartbroken little dragon walked away with his tail dragging behind him, his ears down and his head hung in shame, leaving his friends with watch in sadness. As Spike walked, another crystal pony approached him.

"O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, can I get your autograph?" he asked. But the dragon didn't even look his way.

"You should probably ask somebody special instead." he said as he walked away from the concerned pony.

(~)

After the break, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie walked back into the entrance of the arena. "I feel bad about what happened with Spike." Asami said.

"Me too." said Mako.

"You think Twilight and Korra found him already?" Bolin asked.

"They're probably back with the princesses by now." his older brother replied. The speaks sounded off and Shinning Armor's voice was heard.

"Our next event ...the aerial relay!"

"That's Dash and Fluttershy!" Applejack said, her eyes widening in realization.

"Oh, no! We can't be late for that!" Pinkie Pie galloped ahead with the others close behind. One their way, a strong looking security guard stopped Rarity on her tracks.

"Miss? Step right over here." the pony pointed his hoof to a golden detector-like object with a shimmering surface in the center. One unicorn walked out, her horn now completely emerged with the glow. "Unicorns will no longer be admitted without a disabling spell, to prevent cheating." said the security guard pony. "And make sure you don't even try casting a spell, or we'll know it."

Rarity frowned and lowered her ears in dismay. This disabling spell idea was pretty silly in her opinion, but still she complied. She walked through the detector, and pass the aquatic looking reface, which enwrapped itself onto her horn, disabling her magic for the time being.

"Hmph!" the unicorn huffed with her nose to the air as she headed back to her friends.

The aerial relay had begun. Just like back at Rainbow Falls, each member of both teams must race across the obstacle course and return a horseshoe to their teammate. The one to reach the finish line and gain the most horseshoes in the hole wins. Bulk Biceps handed the horseshoe to Fluttershy and she flew as fast as she could. She was even faster now than she was before.

Ikki, Meelo and Jinora cheered her on. "Go, Fluttershy!"

Pinkie Pie sat on Bolin's lap while holding a bag of popcorn, which they were both sharing. "Ponyville is at the lead!" said the earthbender.

"If Ponyville medals here, we'll have eight medals so far, putting us tied for the lead with Cloudsdale!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly, tossing the popcorn bag upwards, making it land on Bolin's head. The pony's excitement shifted to worry once she realized, "Unless Cloudsdale medals here too…!"

"Not if Rainbow's got anything to say about it." Asami said, just when Fluttershy reached Rainbow and handed her the horseshoe before the other pegasus could. Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could, thought through all of the hoops faster than her opponent.

(~)

Meanwhile, Spike was still hung up on not lighting up the torch. He had only one job to do and he blew it. If only there was some way he could make up for it. Maybe he could ask Ms. Harshwhinny if there was something else he could do to make up for his mistake. He couldn't leave the games without knowing he did something. He felt he had left Cadance down. He didn't want to do it again. He spotted the female pony signing something on a clipboard being held by one of the security guard ponies.

"Ms. Harshwhinny? I know you're really busy, but…"

"What is it?" the pony asked harshly after she was dine signing.

"Maybe there's something else I can do for the Games. Y'know, something really worthy of the Crystal Empire's admiration?"

"What are you talking about? You lit the torch for the whole thing!"

Spike looked down on his feet and kicked the dirt below him. "Uh, well, actually, that wasn't really–"

"That wasn't worthy enough for you? Ugh, for pony's sake! Next thing you know, you'll be asking to put on a _rock concert_." she snorted to herself as she walked off. "Celebrities…"

Suddenly, what Ms. Harshwhinny said gave Spike a great idea. "Wait, that's it!"

(~)

Meelo was literally bitting his nails as Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were neck and neck, they were almost to the finish line. First it was Rainbow, then it was Spitfire, then Rainbow, then Spitfire, and then…

SWOOSH! The two pegasus ponies came through the rounded finish line floating in the air. With Spitfire as the lead. The group of friends cheered none the less, for Rainbow Dash still managed to make it through at the same time as Spitfire, even if she was only a few feet behind.

"We got silver!" Applejack cheered, which was just as good as gold. Being a good sport, Rainbow Dash congratulated Spitfire on her win, and vice versa. Korra and Twilight cheered as well, hoof and fist pounding in victory.

The three relay teams stood on three pedestals in a straight line, with the Wonder Bolts from Cloudsdale as the winners with their gold medals, the Ponyville team as second with their silver medals, and the Griffonstone team as third with brines metals.

"Congratulations to all our medalists." Shinning Armor said as he stood before the teams, "And now, the anthem of–"

"And I shall do the honor of singing!" Spike jumped out into the grassy playing field and boldly proclaimed he would sing the anthem for the empire. He wasn't even thinking, he just went up and jumped right in without a second thought. This could only end so well.

But while the crowd was cheering, Team Avatar looked on in worry. "What is he doing?" Twilight asked.

"Embarrassing himself?" Korra said, "This won't end well."

Shinning Armor chuckled nervously, trying to play it cool as he approached the little dragon. "Spike, what are you doing?!" he said in a hushed tone.

"You know how they always just play the music?" Spike asked before speaking directly to the crowd, amplifying his voice by speaking louder, "Well, I know all the words to our anthem, and will sing them for you now, loud and proud, to the enjoyment of all!"

Mako face palmed himself while Asami and Bolin both shared the same concerned looks. A pegasus pony flew up as the light dimmed slightly, and she shined a spotlight over the prince. This wasn't part of the games, Shinning knew that, but Spike appeared to be every determined, and there really wasn't any harm in this so, he figured it wouldn't hurt.

"And now... um... the Cloudsdale anthem, as sung by... Spike!"

The spotlight shined upon Spike, who's eyes widened in realization. "Wait! The _Cloudsdale_ anthem?"

"They only play the anthem for the _winner_, Spike!" Shinning replied in a hushed tone, "The Wonderbolts are from _Cloudsdale_!"

"But… But I don't know the words to the Cloudsdale anthem! I've never even heard it!"

Camera's flashed and, once again, all eyes were on Spike. He felt his nerves get the better of him again. But while before he actually knew how to breath fire, he knew nothing of the national anthem of Cloudsdale.

"Sing for us, O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious!" one pony called out from the audience.

Spike cleared his throat once the music started. He was already here, he might as well wing it. The little dragon began to sing…out of time and out of rhythm as the music played on.

_Oh, we're the Wonderbolts and we're super fast_

_And we're from Cloudsdale which-is-a-part-of-Equestria_

_That we like best and we're proud and we're fast and we like it because it really has nice trees_

Spike laughed nervously and the audience either winced, covered their ears, or looked on in horror at the terrible singing being displayed before them.

_Yeah, we love the town because it's so cool and, and we like to fly really fast and everything like that_

While the three humans watched in horror at the display, and feeling as if their ears would bleed, they instinctively covered the ears of the air children. Mako covered Meelo's ears, Asami covered Jinora's and Bolin covered Ikki's. Rarity and Applejack were baffled by the singing, and Pinkie Pie was the only one who was actually enjoying the song, bobbing her head to the music with a wide smile on her face.

"Must be a remix!" she said.

Korra and Twilight face/hoof palmed themselves, not wanting to see anymore of this train wreck as Spike continued singing the awful random song. Rainbow's eyes were wide, not knowing exactly what to say about this, while Fluttershy shielded her eyes. The little dragon wanted this to be over just as much as they did.

_I kinda wish this was over 'cause it is... n't... yet... over... now._

_Oh, we're the Wonderbolts and we're super fast and we're cloud– from Cloudsdale_

_We like it there 'cause it's really nice and the trees are cool and I hope it is over now_

_And... it keeps going on, la la la_

_And we really love the town_

_So I wish that this... song... was over now._

_Over... now._

_Over... now._

The lights turned back one and the music finally stopped. But, unlike the terrible song, Spike's humiliation was far from over. The stadium was silent, the only sound being heard was the sound of a baby crying and Pinkie Pie crying out, "Nailed it!"

The poor little dragon hung his head in shame. Once again, he blew it.

(~)

The CMC and the airbender children peeked into Spike's room, seeing the depressed dragon already packing his things. "Spike, you comin'?" Apple Bloom asked as the group entered the room.

"Nah, I got this stuff to pack up." Spike said sadly. His ears lowered down and his tail dragging behind him as he placed his things into his luggage.

"But you've been moping in here for almost the entire Games." Ikki said.

"And tonight's the closing ceremony!" Sweetie Belle said, in hopes of getting Spike's spirits back up.

"Which means we leave tomorrow. Ergo, the packing." Spike replied, dragging his body around as he did did so.

A knock on the door was heard and the two bending brothers showed up. "Hey, kids." Mako greeted, "Mind giving us a minute?" the three children complied and walked out one by one. Briefly looking back at the poor dragon in sympathy.

Meelo was the last to leave, whispering to the two, "Good luck. He's a lost cause."

Bolin nodded and gently patted the young boy on the back as he walked out. The two brothers walked in, seeing the sad dragon continue his packing. "Come on Spike, it's not so bad." Bolin said, trying o sound sympathetic, "Nobody really booed. You know, probably because they were just too fabled…fabled by your amazing voice! Right, Mako?"

But the firebender didn't reply. Even Spike was smart enough to know he messed up big time. Mako walked on over and sat down on the floor as the dragon kept on packing. "Look Spike, I know things haven't been turning out the way you hoped, but…"

"But what?" Spike asked as he looked up at Mako, not even bothering to have even the slightest hint of hope.

"And…that's pretty much it." the firebender confessed.

"You're not good at this." Bolin said, crossing his arms.

"Hey, I'm trying!" Mako sighed, "Spike, what I'm trying to say is that-"

"It's okay, Mako. I get it." the dragon replied.

"You do?"

"Yeah. There's really nothing you can say. You can't sugarcoat it, you can't try and twist it around. I messed up. Simple as that. I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel better, but it's hopeless. I messed up."

"But we don't want you being all by yourself." Mako said with great sincerity. He may not know exactly what to say in this particular situation, since he'd never had this kind of problem before, but he didn't want the poor dragon to be depressed for the remainder of the games. "Why don't you come and watch the rest of the games with us?"

"I'll buy you a sapphire on a stick!" Bolin said in a sing-song voice.

Spike sighed and stopped his packing. "Thanks, but no thanks. You guys go on ahead. I've still got packing to do."

All the brothers could do was watch sadly as the dragon packed his things into the luggage. He just wasn't budging. Mako placed a hand on Bolin's shoulder and led him out of the room, giving the little dragon his space.

(~)

"And so the Games conclude as they always do, with the ice archery finals!" Shinning Armor announced, gesturing his hoof towards a straight line of four targets with a snowflake image on the center. On the opposite end stood buckets full of ice arrows and an ice bow standing firmly on the ground. It was just like normally archery, except the ponies would use their mouths instead of hands. On account of they didn't have hands.

"Too bad Ponyville doesn't have any ice archers competin'." said Applejack, "We don't have anyone to root for."

Pinkie Pie smiled as she wrapped her hoof around her friend. "That's okay. Ponyville has thirty seven medals, and Cloudsdale thirty six, so looks like we'll be medal champs of the Games anyway! Woo-hoo!"

"But Cloudsdale has two ice archery finalists down there now!" said Rainbow Dash, pointing her hoof to the two pegasus ponies down bellow shooting their arrows at the target. Each time and arrow hit, the object it touched would turn into ice. "If they both place, Cloudsale wins the medal count!"

"So you're saying that it all comes down to this one event?!" Pinkie asked in shock, her eyes widening.

"Pretty much." Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie began jumping up and down from their seat shouting; "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh!"

Korra and Twilight both walked down the stairs, bypassing numerous ponies in their seats. The two were rather surprised to see Pinkie PIe appear before them, standing on the head of a random crystal pony. "Twilight! Korra! Come take this extra seat next to me and freak out over the medal count! I'll show you how: Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh!"

"Actually, we were looking for Spike." Twilight replied, "Have you seen him?"

"He wouldn't come." Mako said sadly.

"We tried to talk him into it but he wouldn't listen." Bolin said, before pointing his thumb at his brother and shielding the right side of his mouth with his palm, whispering to the two girls. "I blame Mako."

"Me?! Why blame me?"

"Well, you're not exactly the best motivational speaker." the earthbender said, which was in fact the truth. At least, for now anyways. Mako still had a long way to go from this point.

"You can have his extra seat, though." Pinkie said, only to realize that the two were now gone. "Uh… Guys?"

(~)

Bored and too depressed to even care, Spike laid his back on the sofa of his room, blowing on a single pillow feather and watching it rise up and down. He didn't care about the games, he didn't care about his boredom. He just wanted this all to be over. He refused to show his face to the public until they left. But even by then who knows how far the news of his failure would spread. He wouldn't be able to show himself anywhere ever again.

"Spike?" the voice of the alicorn princess calling his name causing Spike to sit upwards in surprise, accidentally swallowing the feather in the process.

"You in here?" the Avatar called out, startling him even more. He quickly reached for an already packed lugged and opened it up in a hurry, causing all of the already packed clothing to burst out and cover him in a mountain of cloths, which he stuck his head out of.

"Uh, yeah! I'm super-busy!" Spike replied just when the two walked into the room. Unlike the bending brothers, they didn't look concern, but angry. "Look at all this packing left to do, heh. Crazy, right?"

"That's it, Spike!" Korra exclaimed. "No more hiding out."

"You're coming with us." Twilight said firmly. "_Now_."

Spike knew there was no negotiating with these two when they were being firm. If he didn't comply they would just drag him out of the room.

"Okay, fine. I'll come. Can I at least wear these?" he asked as he took out a pair of circular dark sunglasses and a brown fedora hat.

The two girls complied. At least he would be outside and not cooped up in this room.

(~)

Back at the games, the team were watching the ponies shoot arrows at their targets. Asami's eyes shimmered as she watched the ice take shape every time the arrows hit the target. "So, those arrows are of some kind of ice magic?" Asami asked.

"Something like that." Rainbow Dash explained. "They freeze whatever part of the target they hit. Whoever encases their entire target in ice first wins. Keep your eye on number seven from Cloudsdale – he's the favorite."

Back down bellow the stands, Korra and Twilight walked ahead with Spike behind them, now sporting a matching trench coat to keep himself from being recognized. Though, the girls were pretty sure somepony would be able to spot a dragon in a coat, fedora and sunglasses. His little body was a dead giveaway.

"Honestly, Spike, I don't see why you're being so hard on yourself." Twilight said.

Spike hung his head and rose up his collar. "I let everypony down. Twice. You two never let anypony down, so you don't have any idea what that's like."

This caused the two girls to stop on their tracks, causing Spike to bump into Korra's legs. "What are you talking about, Spike? We've _totally_ let others down." Twilight said.

"Heck, I've probably done it more times than Twilight, if not worse." Korra said, "Remember when I was stupid enough to let a misunderstanding come between the Fire Ferrets and we not only almost lost our match but our friendship too?"

"Yeah, but you managed to patch things back together in time."

"That's not the point." Twilight said, "_We_ mess up too. Besides, the torch got lit, the aerial relay teams got their medals - no harm, no foul."

"No. _You_ lit the torch. I had only one job to do and I blew it." Spike hung his head and tipped his hat lower, covering his face. "Can we at least watch from inside there? I'm not sure I'm ready to face crowds in the stands just yet." he said as he walked back to hide.

It was then that Korra finally realized something. "I think I get it now."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Spike wanted to do a good job but we took it away from him."

"We did it so he wouldn't be humiliated."

"I know, I'm not saying our intentions weren't in the right place, but how would you feel if Celestia tasked you to do something and someone else wounded it doing it for you because you were too scared. Wouldn't you feel you've let Celestia down by not doing what she asked?"

Twilight's ears lowered in sadness. "You're right. I didn't even think of it that way."

"Neither did I until just now."

As the archers continued shooting their arrows, one of the ponies lost his balance, stumbled on the bucket of arrows and accidentally shot it upwards into the sky. The arrow hit a cloud, and its magic was activated. Before everybody's eyes, the ice began to take shape, encrusting the cloud in its icy spell. The ice began to weigh the cloud down, at first slowly but then it began to pick up speed, with chunks of ice falling down, the chunks hitting the ground like meteorites plummeting to earth. Ponies all around galloped for their lives, screaming in terror as the ice came falling down, hitting the bleachers and the arena.

"No!" Shinning Armor exclaimed.

Spike removed his glasses, horrified to see the display before him. Twilight and Korra were in equal shock, as were the royal sisters, who immediately flew upwards to protect their subjects. Celestia and Luna shoot magical beams from their horns, hitting the ice that came at them, but the chunks were coming far too quickly. Luna's wing was hit and the princess plummeted to the ground.

"Luna!" Korra cried out for the princess, who struggled to get up due to the ice already trapping her wing. Celestia, distracted at seeing her sister wounded, was hit herself.

Mako immediately took action, sending out commands to his friends, "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, you and the pegasi steer it towards the filed away from the crowds! Asami, Bolin, take the kids and eveyrpony else out of here!"

His friends all nodded in agreement and did just that. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up, gathering as many pegasus ponies as they could. Avoiding the falling ice, they used their strength to try and lift the thing up, but it was far too heavy. Rainbow Dash began using her firebending at the ice, but it barely left much effect.

"It's no use!" the pony exclaimed, "The ice is magic, it'll take a huge amount of magical fire to melt this!"

"Somepony cut the disabling spell!" Shinning Armor cried out to the security ponies.

"There isn't time!" one of them cried out.

Mako ran onto the arena, calling out to the princess and Avatar, "Korra! Twilight! Come with me!"

The two nodded and stood firm, unleashing a powerful amount of their firebending at the ice, alongside Rainbow Dash. But, due to the incredible weight and size of the ice, it took much longer for it to melt.

"It's not enough!" Twilight called out.

It was then, something ignited within Spike. There was one more fire breather left. Removing his poor disguise, Spike leaped into action, ran across the field, bypassing more of the falling ice and stood beside the others, inhaling deeply and unleashing a powerful amount of his fire breath like never before. The fires of the two humans, two ponies and little dragon merged into an incredibly powerful magical fire combo, which increased the melting of the ice.

"Fluttershy! Move!" Korra called out from down bellow as she kept on helping with the fire attack.

Fluttershy and the other pegasus ponies flew out of the way, the ice around everyone started to melt away. Before long, the magical ice finally gave away, transforming into steam and engulfing the entire arena. The group stopped their fire attacks and Spike pulled out an umbrella, which shielded him from the now poring rain, as a result of the melted ice. The rain came and went rather quickly, not leaving enough to fully wet the others.

Once the danger had passed, the entire crowd cheered and applauded. Korra and Mako lifted a surprised Spike upwards, tossing him up and down. "Whoa! Hey! What gives?!"

"You did it, Spike!" Korra said with great pride. "You saved everypony!"

"That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said as she performed an happy air flip.

Celestia and Luna were back on their hooves, Luna's wing only partly wounded but nothing she couldn't shake off. Cadance, the rest of the group and Shinning Armor approached the little scaly hero.

Korra and Mako lowered the dragon down and received a bow from the Crystal Princess. "I just wanted to thank you personally for saving those ponies _and_ the Games, O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious." said Cadance.

You must be very proud." Mako said to the little dragon as he placed a hand on Korra's shoulder, both smiling like a couple of proud parents.

But, to their surprise, Spike on shrugged. "I guess."

"You _guess_?!" the entire group asked in shock.

"I just saw what needed to be done and reacted. Besides, you guys were the first to react, all I did was give that fire a little extra boost. Nothing special. if anyone else could do that, they'd have done the same."

"Forgive me for bein' blunt, Spike, but you're not makin' a lick of sense." said Applejack.

"Yeah. Besides, we never would have been able to melt that ice if you hadn't jumped in." Korra said, "We'd all be crushed ice by now."

"Well, it's just how I feel." Spike said with a shrug.

Twilight approached her little assistant. "Spike, I'm sorry I lit that torch for you at the opening ceremony. I know how badly you wanted to make Cadance proud."

"You only did it to help me." Spike said. "It's not your fault I froze. I couldn't even do one simple job right."

"You keep saying you let everypony down, but we all keep saying you didn't. You know who's really disappointed in you, Spike?...You. And only you can make it right with you again. What would that take, Spike?"

"Meh, I don't know. Can you turn back time? 'Cause I'd sure like a do-over on that opening ceremony."

"We can't turn back time, but, would you do me the great honor of lighting fireworks in my place at the closing ceremonies tonight?" Cadance asked of the dragon.

Korra squatted down and petted the little dragon's head. "Come on, Spike. You saved the Crystal Empire twice! I think you can light some fireworks."

"Mm, I guess I have to at least give it a shot."

"After that display, this should be a piece of cake for you."

(~)

As the games came to a close, each flag of each town and city was risen up for all to see, congratulating all who participated. PInkie Pie jumped up and hugged her friends. "We did it! Ponyville won the medal count, and only by one medal!"

"Hmm, wonder which medal _that_ was?" Rainbow said with a grin before she and Fluttershy showcased their silver metals. "Bam!"

Applejack wrapped her hoof around her little sister, ruffling her mane. "How does it feel to have opened the best Equestria Games in Ponyville history, squirt?"

"Probably as good as it feels to close them!" said Apple Bloom.

The airbender children felt the warm embrace of the Avatar, who finally got to sit beside them for the final part of the games. "Did you kids enjoy your first Equestria Games?"

"It was amazing!" Jinora said, "I hope we can come back to the Crystal Empire again."

"You can count on that." Korra said with a wink. Her cheeks blushed when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and smiled at the firebender. "I'm sorry I had to spend most of the games with the royals until now."

"Well, you're here now. Just like I knew you'd be." Mako winked and received a surprise kiss on the cheek, which in turn made him blush.

"If you think this was fun, just wait for the Glacier Spirits Festival next month. I can't wait for you to see my parents again."

Mako's eyes widened in surprise, and he chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah…great." he said, secretly praying her father wouldn't murder him. Even if Tonraq already knew of their already fully established relationship status as boyfriend and girlfriend, that didn't mean he had to be too happy about it. But, he would have to wait and see for himself to see how that field trip will go. So long as there wouldn't be any falling ice clouds, he should be fine.

The crystal guard ponies marched across the arena, while Cadance and Shinning Armor stood before them, with Ms. Harshwhinny and Spike close by. The orange pony, for once, actually smiled at the little dragon. "Okay, it's time!" said Mr Harshwhinny, not sounding harsh at all for once.

Spike walked up to the line of readied fireworks. Nervous at first, but then he remembered what he had done today. he help save the Crystal Empire, and everybody here. Maybe there really wasn't anything to be afraid of. Taking in a deep breath, Spike released a perfectly wonderful green breath of fire, which lit up the fuses on each of the rockets, sending them flying and going off into the night sky, illuminating the stadium with the most dazzling display for fireworks.

"_You know, it's kinda weird. No matter how many times others tell you you're great, all the praise in the world means nothing if you don't feel it inside._ _Sometimes to feel good about yourself, you gotta let go of the past. That way, when the time comes to let your greatness fly, you'll be able to light up the whole sky."_

As the fireworks were set off, Korra came up and carried Spike in her arms. "Good job O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious." the Avatar tickled his chin and the two hugged, while enjoying the beautiful display above them, with the rest of Team Avatar beside them.

**(~)**

_"That most certainly was a great day for Spike. Oh, which reminds me, I should get going. The games are about to start!_

_Oh, before I go, I just realized something…I've already told you all the stories that happened before the Glacier Spirits Festival. And yet, I still have two more stories left. Both of which happened after the Great Change and before Team Avatar went to look for airbenders._

_Well, looks like I'll be seeing you guys again for two more adventures. Until next time, keep a look out for another…_

Tales of Equestria!


	19. A Rare Courage

_"Ah, Rarity!_

_The most fashionable and elegant unicorn in all of Equestria! She's basically the bee's knees as many pony folk say. Generous, creative, bold, classy, brave, dedicated, and the apple of the eye of many stallions everywhere!_

_If there's a big fancy event, she's there. If there's a fashion crime that needs to be resolved, she's there. If there's a pro-bending team in need of a new waterbender she's…_

_Wait._

_You didn't know Rarity was in a pro-bending match?_

_What do you mean she would never do that?!_

_Well, do I have a story for you. Only this time, let's have a change of scenery, shall we? After the Great Change, ponies and humans could now live together in harmony. Ponies could now bend and turn into their anthro form if they wish. _

_And one unicorn in particular, was about to put her talents to the test._

*(~)*

**1 John 1:5-7~**

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

***(~)***

**A Rare Courage**

A new age had begun. A whole new world was born, and new adventures waited for Team Avatar. But, on this day, a certain young unicorn pony was hard at work at her boutique. After the Great Change, the physical appearance and aspects of Equestria had changed as well. Things were more detailed, three dimensional, still just as colorful, but appearing more like the world humans and spirits inhabited. Rarity was quite surprised to see her boutique so different, and yet it never looked better.

This entirely new change made the unicorn's mind flow with inspiration. She was motivated now more than ever to make new creations for this new world, and her new humans friends. To her, it didn't matter what the world looked like, she knew that anyone can be fabulous in their own way. After all…

_Life is a runway_

_(runway)_

_Listen, here's what it's all about_

_I tell you_

_Life is a runway_

_Time to bring what's on the inside out_

_Into the Light!_

_Into the light_

The glamourous unicorn pilled her saddle bag with an assortment of materials, ribbons, gemstones, fabrics, sowing materials, the works and made her way into the human world, embracing her new anthro body. She had already grown accustomed to this new form, and enjoyed strutting the newly colorful streets of Republic City in it as well.

As she walked, catching the eye of many residence for her beauty and radiant confidence, Rarity's horn glowed and beautiful sparkly ribbons emerged. She used them to create a lovely braid for a middle aged woman, making her feel young and beautiful once more. The sparkle and gratitude in her eyes was enough to warm Rarity's heart.

_Life is a runway_

_When you see it my way_

_Take all the good inside_

_Make it beautiful_

_Fashion is a way to start_

_Showing what's in your heart_

_Call it superficial, I call it irrefutable_

_Oh, oh._

_Oh wha-oh_

_Oh, oh_

_Oh wha-oh_

_Oh, oh_

_Oh wha-oh_

_LIfe is a runway!_

Rarity happily greeted the townsfolks, generously handing out designer accessories, handbags, new makeovers, fixing a few broken stitches, and overly spreading her creativity for all to share. She always knew everybody was beautiful underneath. Fashion was her way of bringing that beauty outward. Practically everything was beautiful, from the small shops, to the simple cafes. From the children playing, to the mothers and fathers happily chatting with old friends. The unicorn even handed a few flowers to the men so they could give to their lovely ladies. Nothing made her happier.

_You can be the girl that you want to be_

_With a little love and some accessories_

_Don't be scared to show you have personal style_

_Just go do your thing_

_You'll make everyone smile_

_(life is a runway)_

_You can be the girl that you want to be_

_With a little love and some accessories_

_Don't be scared to show you have personal style_

_Just go do your thing_

_You'll make everyone smile_

_Life is a runway_

_(runway)_

_Listen, here's what it's all about_

_I tell you_

_Life is a runway_

_Time to bring what's on the inside out_

_Into the Light!_

_Into the light_

_Into the light_

_Into the light!_

_Oh,_

_Into the light_

Her final stop would be at the pro-bending arena, where she knew Bolin and Rainbow Dash would be. Upon entering, the unicorn had to duck her head down once a water bullet came directly at her. "Oh, my goodness!" Rarity exclaimed. Indeed her friends were there, but they looked anything but happy. They stood at the corner of the gym, holding clipboards while watching the line of male waterbenders attempting to hit the targets in front of them. However, their displays were not all that impressive. Not to say they were terrible, but…average at best.

"Um, what's all this?" Rarity asked as she approached the two. Rainbow Dash was also in her anthro form, standing beside Bolin.

"Oh, hey Rarity." Bolin greeted, "Yeah, we're holding auditions for a replacement waterbender on the Fire Ferrets team."

"A replacement waterbender?" Rarity asked, before face palming herself. "Oh, right! The pro-bending charity event to help repair the damage caused by UnaVaatu."

"And a celebratory one in honor of the two worlds being together again." Rainbow Dash added. "For one night, The Fire Ferrets are back in business!"

"But, why aren't Korra and Mako competing with you?" the unicorn asked curiously.

"Well, Korra kind of didn't think it would be fair." Rainbow explained, scratching the back of her neck, "I mean, she's a half-alicorn now. That's definitely gonna give her a bigger advantage over the rest of us. Trust me, we've seen her practice…she's doing these guys a favor."

"Plus, she and Mako are already helping organize the whole thing. They won't have much time to practice." Bolin explained before sighing. "One day my big bro's a cop for the Republic City Police department, and the next he's the right hand man of the royal princesses of Equestria. Such is life."

"But, it's not a total lose. Because it means that _I_ get to fill in as the replacement firebender!" Rainbow said with a confident smile, placing one hand on her hip and one above her chest.

"Now we just need a new waterbender." Bolin said. He picked up the whistle that was around his neck and blew on it, signaling the boys to stop. "Okay, great warm up guys! Take five and we'll let you know what we decide on after lunch, cool?"

The group of waterbenders nodded their heads and walked out to grab something to eat, allowing the three friends alone to talk. Rarity quickly ran up to one of them, notching the stitching on his shirt was loose. "Oh, wait, good sir! You have a loose thread there." using her magic, Rarity levitated a needle and a dark blue thread and quickly fixed the young man's shirt.

"Wow! Thanks."

"Happy to help." Rarity said with a smile and waved goodbye at the young man. One the group was entirely gone, both Rainbow Dash and Bolin sighed in dismay, surprising Rarity. "What's wrong?"

"We're sunk!" Rainbow confessed, nearly pulling her hair out. "They're good and all, but not good enough. They won't last five seconds in that ring!"

"Especially Yao." Bolin said, "He keeps sagging his arms like a worm." the earthbender waved his arms for emphasis. "Not to mention nearly all of the best waterbenders in the city are already on the opposing teams."

"Plus, it won't be the same without Korra." Rainbow's eyes lowered down in sadness.

Rarity placed a comforting hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "Oh, don't be so sad, darling. It's Korra's first official day as an alicorn princess after all, and she's going to need all the support she can get. Besides, you're both incredibly talented, I'm sure you'll make something work."

"Thanks, Rarity." Rainbow said with a smile…right before her stomach started to rumble. "Of course, I can't think straight on an empty stomach."

"Got some noodles from the apartment." Bolin said, pointing his thumb towards the exit and he and Rainbow Dash made their way. "You coming, Rarity?"

"I'll catch up in a moment." the unicorn waved her hand casually, encouraging them to go on ahead of her. Once they were gone, Rarity placed her bag down and looked around the arena. It's been a while since she had been here. It didn't smell as badly as it did before. In fact, she eventually became accustomed to the smell of sweat and smoke from the fires Mako would bend. There were indeed many found memories in this place. Rarity never knew she could actually enjoy a sport, being the less sporty of her friends. But, she always found an appeal to it. And that was in waterbending.

Until she discovered it was her natural element, she didn't really understand how she could have found something to enjoy about the sport of pro-bending. Granted, she wasn't as aggressive with her bending as the pro-benders were, but just the very movements of the liquid, the way it glistened in the lights of the arena, the splashing sound it made when it hit its opponent, not so dangerous in sound, but powerful on impact.

Her blue eyes sparkled when she saw the barrel of water in front of her and a few of the targets, many of which were ripped, except for a few, which were probably missed by some of the opponents. The image of the target was on paper, hanging on rope. Her eyes darted around. She was all alone. Just her and the water.

Her blue colored lips curled into a smile as she moved her arms elegantly, controlling the water and morphing it into a stream. For a moment, she admired the shimmering designs of the water before pushing her arms forward, commanding the stream to go directly through the target in a perfect bullseye.

With a glee in her eyes, Rarity maintained control of the stream, the waters meaning together, never breaking apart upon impact, and she forced it to return to her, before pushing her arms froward again, and hitting another bullseye. She repeated the process again, moving the waters as if it were a needle and thread being sown together. She spun around elegantly, bending the water above her head and placed it back into the barrel in an over the head flair style.

She spotted a few more paper targets and decided to try this again. She placed the papers on the rope and repeated the process again. She was having so much fun that she even did a few summersaults, twirled and poses as she kept perfect control of the water. Her movements were very precise, controlled, fast and steady, and each time she hit the target perfectly. This was her own style of bending, which she dubbed: Rarity Style!

The unicorn giggled to herself but then she gasped and dropped the water she was controlling once she saw her friends enter the gym. The unicorn stood still, adjusting her hair and placed her hands on her back, blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh! Bolin, Rainbow Dash, I…I didn't hear you come in."

Both the earthbender and pegasus pony had their jaws dropped while holding plates of their food in their hands. Rainbow was the first to say something. "That…was….AWESOME! I mean, you were all like-Wham! Pow! Strut! Splash!"

"I've never seen bending like that before!" Bolin exclaimed, his eyes widening in awe, and a broad smile on his face. "Man, you've been holding out on us!"

"It's nothing, really." Rarity said, still blushing. "Just a little trick I taught myself in my free time."

Bolin then gasped, dropping his plastic plate, only for it to be caught by Rarity's magic. "Do you know what this means?!" Bolin asked excitedly, gripping Rainbow's shoulders and shaking her before turning back to the unicorn. "Congratulations, Rarity! You're the Fire Ferret's newest waterbender!"

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

"That's a great idea!" Rainbow exclaimed, her wings flapping and she now hovered a few feet in the air, tossing her plate away and, once again, Rarity caught it. "We'll be like a real team again!"

"No!" Rarity cried out, "Honestly, what are you two even thinking?! I can't compete in a pro-bending match!"

"Why not?" Bolin asked in confusion, "You were amazing!"

"Oh, please! I was just playing around with water, is all." Rarity said as she levitated the plates down. "Besides, sports are your thing, not mine." Rarity turned to her side, not facing them as she lowered her ears down and placed her two hands together in front of her.

"But, isn't waterbending a sport?" Rainbow asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.

The question made Rarity jolt up. She stammered in shock before stomping her foot on the floor and clenching her fists to her side like a stubborn child. "Wha-uh-eh-ah! Waterbending is _not_ a mere sport! It is a skill unique to the people of the Water Tribes that has been around and practiced for centuries. It is the element of change, a fighting style that is fluid and graceful, shrouded with beauty and mystery. Waterbending is _not_ just a sport, my dear. Waterbending is…an _art!_"

Rarity struck a dramatic pose once she said the word "art", which left the room silent for a couple of seconds before Rainbow Dash spoke. "Oooooookay."

"But, Rarity, you managed to hit every single target with just one water whip! And you were moving so fast I could barely catch up!"

"I was just practicing my posing." Rarity stated.

"But-"

"Look, I'm flattered you would want me to be a part of your team, but you both know this isn't my thing."

Rainbow Dash arched a suspicious brown while crossing her arms. "Really? Cause, you sure looked pretty comfortable just now."

The unicorn could feel her cheeks getting flustered. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she really did enjoy it. She enjoyed doing all those attacks, feeling empowered and glamourous while doing so. It was her way of combining both her love of her element and her love of fashion into one. But, this would never fit in with a pro-bending game. There, the benders had to be strong and fearless, not creative and graceful. It was different when she was alone, what if she did it in public. She would make the Fire Ferrets a laughing stock. There was a reason why she didn't participate in many sports…she didn't want to embarrass herself doing something she knew she wouldn't be as good at as the others.

"Please, Rarity." Bolin practically begged, "We need you. This tournament is very important to the city and everybody. Don't you want to be a part of it?"

"Of course I do. I just don't want to be a part of _this_." her eyes widened once she realized what she just said. Her friends were asking her to be a part of their team and she bluntly said she didn't want to. She could already see the disappointment in their eyes. "Oh, dear. I didn't mean it like that, I just-"

"No, you don't have to apologize." Rainbow Dash, her voice came off as calm and understanding rather than disappointed. Alright, there was still hint of it somewhere in there. "We get it. Sports aren't your thing. We're sorry fro pressuring no."

"No, no, it's not that, it's just…I…I have to go." with her head hung down, as well as her ears, Rarity walked out of the gym, shielding her eyes from her friends, preventing them from seeing her tears. Bolin and Rainbow Dash felt a wave of guilt overcome them.

Maybe they shouldn't have insisted for Rarity to be their new waterbender.

(~)

Rarity sighed as she gazed at her reflection in the water. She sat on the bench She leaned against the railing of the pavilion, where Korra would often meditate. Her hands on both sides of her face. She couldn't stop thinking about what Bolin and Rainbow Dash said. They said she was an amazing waterbender, and to some degree, she believed them. But, to be in an actual pro-bending match. She just wasn't so sure.

But the strangest thing was, the more she thought about it…the more she kind of liked the idea.

She always was at least curious to know what it was like to be in a pro-bending match, and in a way, it was kind of like walking down a runway. The players would step out, wave and bend, and every movement they make the crowd roars louder and louder. Cameras flash, hands clap, each bender embracing their unique style. Each stance, each movement of the hands is practiced, precise, just like modeling. Keeping a specific posture, your eyes on the target, extreme focus on the task while the adoring public cheering your name was what pushed you to go farther.

It wasn't so different after all. But, if she did join the team, what if her style of bending wasn't good enough? What if she just wasn't cut out for it? And why did she wanted to still think about this? She had begun to wish she had never played with the water in the first place. Maybe she wouldn't be so confused right now.

"Why the long face?" a voice from behind asked. Rarity spun around and her heart leaped for joy upon seeing the newly crowned Princess Avatar approach her. If there was anybody she could talk to about this, it was Korra.

"Oh, Korrakins, thank goodness!"

The Princess Avatar approached her fiend and stood by the pillar beside her. "Everything alright?"

Rarity sighed. "No. I'm so conflicted right now and I don't even have to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier today, Bolin and Rainbow Dash asked me to be the waterbender for the Fire Ferrets."

"Really?" Korra smiled in surprise, but then frowned when she noticed the uncertainty in her friend's face.

"Yes, but…I told them no." Rarity angrily growled as she pulled on her curly violet hair, "Oh, all I did was fool around with a water whip and a few paper targets."

Korra gave her friend a knowing grin as she leaned against the railing. "Did Rarity Style, huh?"

"Well, it is my favorite style." the unicorn said proudly, making the Avatar giggle in response.

"But, you're still thinking about accepting the offer, aren't you?"

Rarity knew Korra could read her like an open book. They were bonded by the Element of Generosity, so they could see into the other's heart and understand them better than anybody else. There were no secrets among them. "Yes…but, you and I both know I don't do sports."

"True, but you were one of the ponies who played a part in the defeat of UnaVaatu, remember?"

"That was different. The world was in danger, so naturally I had to defend my friends."

"And pro-bending is kind of the same thing. You defend your team. Just because you're a fashion forward pony doesn't mean you have to stink at sports. Before I met you, I used to look down upon fashion and shopping, but you showed me a whole other side to it. Now, I actually enjoy it. But, I'm still me. You don't have to change yourself to step out of your comfort zone."

"I know. I guess I'm just scared of making a complete fool of myself. I can't help but think of all those people watching my every move."

"So? You love being in the spotlight."

"Not when it involves doing something I'm not good at! You ended up liking fashion because you actually have the looks and grace to pull it off."

"And _you_ have the talent and skill to pull _this_ off if you wanted to. Rarity, I know how strong and capable you are. Besides, weren't you the one who encouraged me to try something new?"

Rarity opened her mouth to give a counter response, but quickly realized she had none. So instead she clenched her fist in annoyance. "Er! I hate it when you use my own words against me!"

Korra only giggled before placing a hand on the anthro pony's shoulder. "Look, I'm not trying to force you to be a part of the team, that's really up to you, but_ if_ you decide to you can do it. We all love you, and we'll support any decision you make."

"You sound just like Mako when you say that."

"I've been with him all day, he's bound to rub off on me at some point." the two girls shared a laugh before hugging it out. Rarity felt more at ease to know her friend didn't pressure her to do something she didn't want to do, but still encouraged her to try something new if she wanted to.

"Thanks, Korra."

"Anytime, Rare."

The unicorn looked down at her reflection in the waters once more as her best friend continued to hug her. Wondering exactly what it was she wanted to do.

(~)

That night, Rarity snuck back into the gym. Since Bolin and Mako no longer lived here, she would have less chances of waking somebody up. She did what Korra did the first time she snuck in here. She swam all the way, lifted herself upwards with the water and bended the liquids off of her. The unicorn flipped her hair once she was dry and looked around the gym itself. A few pro-bending uniforms hung on the walls by hangers. Walking towards them, she traced her fingers against the fabric. It was not imported silk from Saddle Arabia, but it was durable enough for the games. Functional was as important as fashionable in the case of benders after all.

Rarity didn't know what to feel about all of this. This place did hold a special place in her heart because of the memories, and even if Korra and Mako weren't going to play anymore, that didn't mean the sport didn't carry some emotional value to them. Rarity wasn't planning on becoming a professional pro-bender, but…maybe…one night.

She placed a few targets in place and began doing the same attack she used last time. She stopped herself for a moment before continuing. She adjusted her position, moved her feet and arms in a much more "traditional" formation of bending, trying to imitate Korra's formation. She bended the water, creating a water whip, which she then used it to hit a bullseye at the target. Only this time, she allowed the disperse once it hit the target. She did amazingly well for her first non-Rarity Style attempt. It felt a bit strange not doing it in her way, but she was trying something new to see if it would work, and to her wonder…it did.

Maybe Korra was right, maybe she could do this. Remembering the way Korra would do it, Rarity managed to hit each target perfectly, with the exception of one, which missed by a small portion of the target bullseye. Still, Rarity tried once more. She did the typical summersaults, backflips and basic waterbending attacks, but without her posing or stylization of her movements when she did it. She was doing it the way Korra, or Kya would have done it. And, even if it was different, she mastered the skills amazingly well.

It was actually fun to use her bending like this. She was starting to feel more and more confident. The princess was right, she can do this if she wanted to.

(~)

The next morning, Bolin and Rainbow Dash came in early, already in their training gear, ready to practice. The two were caught off guard when they spotted the white anthro unicorn already at the gym, hitting target by target like a true waterbending pro…and wearing a pro-bending uniform.

Rarity briefly stopped her practicing once she saw her friends enter. "About time you arrived!" she said with a smile, "Better get moving, the tournament is tomorrow."

"R-Rarity?" Bolin said, his mouth still partly wide in amazement. "I-I thought you said-"

"Well, a girl can change her mind, can she? What are you waiting for? Are we practicing or not?"

"Um, sure." Rainbow Dash said, a small smile forming on her face. "So, does this mean you're on the team?"

"Would I be here if I wasn't, darling?"

The earthbender and pegasus pony were baffled by this sudden heel-turn. "You sure seemed pretty resistant to join." Rainbow said, arching an eyebrow.

Rarity briefly stopped her practicing and turned to face them. "Well, I had a talk with Korra yesterday and she reminded me that it wouldn't hurt to try something new, so…I am. I realize I really do want to be in a pro-bending match, so I was up late last night improving my movements."

"Improving?" Bolin asked, "What was wrong with your Rarity Style?"

The unicorn looked uncertain. "Oh. well, you see, that was really more for fun, darling. It wouldn't do much on a real match. Besides, I actually unite enjoy this new traditional style. It's very effective."

Bolin and Rainbow Dash both shared skeptical looks. It was a shame Rarity couldn't use her own style of bending to compete, but maybe it was for the best. This was the first time Rarity would be in a real match in her anthro form, and she was already used to bending in her pony form so…they decided to respect her wishes.

Bolin clapped his hands together, ready to get to work. "Okay, let's do this Fire Ferrets!"

Rarity beamed with happiness. She never knew she could be so excited to be part of a real pro-bending match. She couldn't wait to see the look on Korra's face.

The day went on as expected. The new Fire Ferret team practiced all day on their attacks. Rainbow Dash was a natural, Bolin was happy to get back in the groove and Rarity was amazing with her waterbending. For the first several attempts, she was able to keep herself up while using her traditional style.

However, as the practicing went on, Bolin and Rainbow Dash would notice Rarity slowly drifting back to her Rarity Style once more. But every time, she caught herself and went back to using the old style. Every time she found adjusted herself, she would loose her footing, trip and loose control of her water, causing it to disperse and splash on her face.

The two friends kindly helped their friend stand up. "Rarity, you sure you want to go through with this?" Bolin asked with worry. "That's the third time you've done that."

"I'll be fine." Rarity insisted. "I've never given up on a task before, and I will most certainly not give up on this one! That was just a little fluke, let's try again."

The unicorn picked herself back up and prepared to try once more. There was no denying she was good at any style she did, but would she be able to hold up this traditional style or not was the real question. Hopefully, she would manage to get herself back up to speed by the tournament.

(~)

After a long day of practicing, Rarity retried to her room back in Ponyville. Her anthro form was gone and she was back in her old four legged pony form once more. She was so exhausted, her hair was a mess.

"Oh…what a day. Still, I think I'm getting better." she said to herself as she walked pass a mirror. She stopped and hurried back, gasping at her reflection. "Oh my satins and silk! I look like I just went through the desert and back!"

A meow was heard, and Rarity turned to her left to see her cat, Opal meowing at her owner.

"Well, nothing a hot bath can't fix." Rarity said with confidence, only to receive another meow from her cat. "Don't worry, Opal. I'll be perfectly refreshed by tomorrow morning for moor practicing." the cat meowed once more, "I know, it's strange to see myself working so hard for something like a…a sport. But, now that I've actually tried it, I can see why the others find it so appealing. Korra was right, trying something new isn't so bad."

The unicorn retreated to the bathroom to soak herself, but Opal only meowed with uncertainty.

(~)

"It's pro-bending night once again!" Shiro Shinobi said as he spoke into the microphone. The night had finally arrived and the entire arena was packed full of humans and ponies alike. "And it's not just any night, but the first pro-bending match of the new age. We are happy to welcome our pony brothers and sisters from Equestria and a royal greeting to our special guests: The alicorns! The beautiful royals, Queen Leilani, the princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight Sparkle and, our very own hometown hero, Princess Avatar Korra!"

The royal alicorns themselves sat on a high balcony not too far from Shiro's seat. Each one stood up, waving with great elegance to the adoring public. Twilight was a bit more comfortable with the attention, though still not as familiar as the other alicorns were, but far more than Korra.

The Avatar felt as if her heart would leap from her chest as she smiled rather nervously at the adoring crowd, numerous people and ponies cheering out, "We love you Korra!" "You're our hero!"

The Avatar gulped nervously and continued to wave. She had sat with the alicorns before during the Equestria Games, but that was just as an honored guest. This time, she was one of them. A royal. A diplomat. A face of the people. As if being the Avatar wasn't scary enough.

Flash Sentry and Mako stood beside the two royals, while Shinning Armor sat with his wife. The rest of the Mane Six sat with them in their own seats, which were mostly Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie and even Spike and Asami. Once they each took their seats, Twilight placed her hand on Korra's, reassuring her everything would be alright. At least the Avatar wouldn't have to deal with this new change alone.

"We thank you all for attenuating the semi finales of our special charity championship tournament. Precedes will go to the Rebuilt Republic City Fund, to help repair the city after Princess Korra and the Elements of Harmony's epic battle with that giant man spirit monster thingamajig two weeks ago."

"Oh, I'm so excited I think I'm gonna explode!" Pinkie exclaimed, literally jumping right out of her seat.

"Okay, ease up there, Pinkie." Mako said, though he couldn't help but smile in amusement. "We're all really excited."

"It's a shame you guys couldn't compete this time." said Applejack.

Mako looked down in disappointment. "I know. But it was my first day on the job, and I hung up my pro-bending gear for good."

"And we all know why _I_ couldn't compete." said Korra, "It wouldn't be much of a competition with my new magic. Besides, let the next generation have a chance to shine."

"I still can't believe Rarity actually decided to join the Fire Ferrets." Flash said, still rather skeptical on the discovery.

"Believe me, it was a shock for all of us." said Mako.

"Are you kidding?" Spike said, narrowing his eyes at the two, "Rarity can totally beat those guys! She's the best waterbender pony I know."

"She's the _only_ waterbending pony you know." Twilight said.

"Which makes her all the more amazing." the little dragon said with a sigh, which only made the two princesses roll their eyes in amusement. Typical little boy crush.

(~)

As for Rarity herself, she too was feeling the nerves. She was already in her new gear, colored red just like Korra's old pro-bending unicorn, but with a blue sash around her waist. Her hair was styled into a high ponytail and her tail was styled into a thin braid, which kept on swaying back and forth as she kept on fiddling with her still bare hands.

"Bolin, is it normal for human hands to sweat like this?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the arena before her.

"Relax, Rarity. You're gonna knock em dead tonight." said Rainbow Dash as she wrapped her arm around the anxious unicorn.

"It's just, now that we're actually here and, the pressure and all." Rarity began to hyperventilate, "Oh, dear. I can't breath! I can't breath! Somepony open a a window, I need air!"

Rainbow Dash grabbed her friend by the shoulders and began shaking her rapidly. "Rarity, calm down!"

The unicorn took in deep breaths and finally managed to calm herself. "Sorry."

"You're gonna be great out there." Bolin said with a reassuring smile, "All your hard work is gonna pay off!"

"Thank you, Boly." Rarity's eyes returned to the arena and she gulped nervously before shutting her eyes close, squinting them before reopening them, a look of determination appeared on her face. "Let's do this!"….

(~)

…."Eep." The unicorn squeaked when the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on the Fire Ferrets, now standing on the arena as the crowd cheered loudly for them and Shiro announced their names.

"Let's all give a warm welcome back to Bolin, captain of the Fire Ferrets and the two newest members of the team, The Elements of Loyalty and Generosity themselves; Rainbow Dash and Rarity!"

From the balcony, Team Avatar cheered for the Ferrets. Spike was waving a small Rarity flag in his hand, while Pinkie Pies was jumping up and down like crazy. Mako and Flash whistled and clapped while Korra and Twilight cheered at the top of their lungs, which wasn't a very princessy thing to do, but the alicorns happily allowed it.

Rarity could hear their individual voices from down bellow, while Rainbow Dash and Bolin basked in the glory as the crowd chanted their names. Rainbow even went so much as to fly upwards and even fly across the crowd, high fiving various people and ponies before landing back with her teammates.

Bolin scoffed. "Show off."

Rarity refused to let them down. So, she straightened herself up, took in a deep breath and readied herself as she once again as they faced their opponents on the opposite side of the ring. She was face to face with the team's waterbender, a strong looking man with an arrogant smug on his face. "A little far from your boutique, aren't you little pony?" he said with a taunting laugh.

"You won't be laughing when your sorry backside is tossed into the water." the unicorn replied, her voice oozing with confidence and courage.

"Oh, you back backtalk. Let's see if you can fight."

Rarity growled under her breath when the bell rang, starting the match. The opposing firebender attacked first, sending a blazing stream of fire at Rainbow Dash, which she easily maneuvered by crunching down and sending a fire directly at the opponent. Bolin wa shandling himself pretty well, while Rarity saw her chance to attack. There was a clean shot at the waterbender who taunted her, the posing earthbender aiming for another attack at Bolin. Seeing her chance, Rarity bended the water and send a powerful bullet directly at the opposing earthbender, sending him back, nearly missing the zone line. If she had hit him harder he would have reached it.

"The game has only just begun and the Fire Ferrets are already taking the lead." Shiro announced as the game continued.

The rainbow haired pegasus sent a fire arch kick at the opponent, who dodged it, and both the waterbender and earthbender send their respected elements at her, but Rainbow Dash maneuvered each of them, clenching her fists together and crunching down, her eyes set on the target before sending another attack at the opposing firebender.

"Amazing! This is Rainbow's first pro-bending match and she's already mastered former Fire Ferret team captain Mako's cool under fire style! Way to keep up the tradition, Rainbow!"

From the balcony, Mako was practically jumping up and down, pounding his fists into the air like an energetic child. "Yes! I taught her that move! I taught her that, that was me! That's my girl!"

Rarity continued maneuvering the incoming attacks but was eventually hit by a water whip, which pushed her back, loosing her footing and was about to land back first. Thinking fast, she pushed herself forward, bending her body and extending her arms, her hand making contact with the surface of the arena. Her feet caught up with her and she was now standing upside-down, with her hands supporting her. With a powerful push, she send herself flying, twirling in the air and landing perfectly back from where she once stood, instinctively striking a pose while she panted, her heart was racing like mad from the close call. Her legs were positions one in front of the other, her foot slightly twisted to the left side and her arms stretched out as if she were an acrobat having done an impossible jump and taking a standing ovation. Her face was in pure surprise, as were the audience and even Shiro.

"Wow! Rarity was so close to hitting the zone line, but she avoided it with an amazing last minute move! And with style, no less!"

The unicorn could hear her friends cheering for her from the balcony, much to her delight. But her sense of victory faded when the opposing waterbender cried out, "Hey! This is an arena, not a runway!"

Rarity immediately shook out of her pose-like position and got back into the game. As much as she hatted to admit it, he was right. This wasn't a runway. She had used Rarity Style. Then again, Rarity style did come in handy.

Korra and the others watched with concern as Rarity and the others continued their match. "Is Rarity okay?" Asami asked.

"Why isn't she using her Rarity Style?" Mako asked his girlfriend, who looked at him with concern. The look on her face said it all.

This was not going to end well.

And, son of a hydra, it didn't. Rarity, still shaken from the experience and feeling uncertain with herself, lost her full concentration that she was hit by an earth disk and was pushed back, her foot touching the zone line, which went off, beeping and glowing red.

"Ooh, Rarity's over the line!" Shiro exclaimed, "Now the poor little unicorn's on zone two while her teammates are still holding on to their zone one territory."

Rainbow Dash and Bolin held the opponents off as hard as they could, but the opponents eventually got the better of them, with Rainbow Dash being thrown back by an earth disk to the stomach and Bolin a water bullet to the face. He rolled over the line, causing it to beep red.

"And now the Ferrets are in zone three, now the Tigerdillos are right in Ferret territory. Let's hope these two ponies can pull off a miracle just like their predecessors."

"Rarity, are you okay?" Rainbow asked her friend, who grunted as she stood back up, hr eyes fueled with determination.

"I'm fine!" she spatted out, almost bitterly, keeping her gaze on the opposing team, which already started attacking. Rarity remembered her training and carried on attacking the opponents, using her keen eye to keep up with the fast benders. She summersaulted from an attack, keeping her footing steady. She bended a stream of water at the opponent, knocking him on his back. Rainbow Dash continued sending blasts at her opponent, while avoiding the incoming attacks, but Rarity felt a powerful hit of fire throw her back and send her rolling over zone three, nearly hanging over the edge of the ring. Team Avatar gasped in horror while Spike was bitting on his claws nervously.

"Rarity took a pretty nasty hit and now she's all alone on zone three, just inches away from the side of the ring." Shinobi said, as the unicorn grunted as she stood back up. She could already hear the opposing waterbender taunting at her. The unicorn tried to attack, but the earthbender was about to hit her with one of his disks. Bolin reacted and jumped in the way to block it, breaking the disk with his own, but the impact was enough to send him back, colliding with Rarity and the two were sent down into the waters bellow and Rainbow Dash was hit with a double earth attack and she was sent rolling down to zone three while her teammates surfaced from the waters bellow.

"Bolin and Rarity take the dive and Rainbow Dash is hit by a double earth attack!"

"Round one goes to the Tigerdillos!" the referee accounted, much to the dismay of Team Avatar.

Rarity shook her body like a dog once she and Bolin resurfaced and he helped her back up. "Don't worry, we've still got a chance to win." he said with a reassuring smile, but Rarity wasn't so sure. She had been working her tail off and now she just cost them the match. She was beginning to think this might have been a mistake.

The Fire Ferrets regrouped once more on the arena and the bell rang once more. This time, the Fire Ferrets manage to overpower the Tigerdillos, but too quickly, Rarity was already sent back to zone two once again.

"Looks like this just isn't Rarity's night. She's been thrown into zone two twice already."

"Ha! You should have stayed in you fashion house, little pony!" the opposing waterbender taunted, only for Rainbow Dash to easily knock him down with a fire kick for that nasty comment about her friend.

"Don't listen to him, Rarity!" the pony exclaimed to her friend before continuing attacking the opponents. Rarity got back up and sent water blasts at the earthbender, knocking him back with her raw power. Bolin knocked the firebender down with a speeding earth disk and Rainbow Dash fire kicked the opposing waterbender back into zone two on his team's side of the ring, giving the Fire Ferrets the advantage.

Team Avatar cheered on as the Ferrets continuously hit their opponents. One water attack was coming at Rarity, she summersaulted out of the way, but seemed to have lost her footing in her attempt to balance herself and ended up colliding with Bolin in the process, causing them both to fall and the earthbender to send both of them back as payback.

Rainbow took the shot and send fire blasts at the earthbender and firebender, sending them to zone two with their waterbender.

"The Tigerdillos lost their zone one territory giving the Fire Ferrets free leverage. Bolin and Rarity got back into position and the three of them send their individual attacks at the opposing benders, sending them back to zone three. This gave the Ferrets a chance to move forwards and send the Tigerdillos off of the ring and down into the pool and the bell rang, signaling the end of the second round.

"And the Fire Ferrets have come back on top! Let's see if they can keep this up during the third round."

Rarity placed her hands on her knees, panting and sweating. "Rarity, are you okay?" Bolin asked with concern, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No." she replied bitterly. "I cost us the first match!"

"Don't worry, you'll get them next time." Rainbow said in reassurance.

"Seeing as I don't make a fool of myself again. Maybe this was a mistake." the unicorn said, she felt like a snail in a convention full of cheetahs. Her attempts at bending like Korra or any other waterbender wasn't helping her.

"It's not too late to use that Rarity Style."

"Come on, Rarity." Bolin persisted, but the unicorn only shook her head.

"No. I've already made a fool of myself, I don't want to saltine the wound."

"But-"

"Enough! Let's just get this over with."

The bell rang once more and Rarity was determined to prove herself. This time, it was personal. She wanted to prove to that no good waterbender that she had what it took to bend like the rest of them. She never gave up on anything this big before, so she refused to do so now. The unicorn send a powerful water whip at the opposing team like there was no tomorrow.

"Rarity's not waisting any time in confronting her opponents, and boy is this little water pony full of fire right now!"

With her teammates at her side, Rarity placed all of her heart into these attacks, but she was also placing all of her anger as well. Her fiery determination was deeply concerning Korra. She was starting to think maybe this was her fault. Maybe she should have been more clear about her advice. This really was her fault.

Rarity fought with brute force, but her furry blinded her from thinking clearly. She sent a water whip at the exact moment the earthbender sent a rock disk at her. Both benders took the hit, the opponent to the head and Rarity to the arm. The unicorn winced in pain and rolled down to the ground.

"Rarity!" Rainbow exclaimed upon seeing her friend. The waterbender took the chance and readied to hit Rainbow Dash, but the pony heard the incoming attack and blasted it away with her flames. Bolin and Rainbow Dash shielded Rarity, who looked on like a helpless little pony while her friends did all the work. Their determination to help their fiend fueled their power so much they overpowered their opponents. Bolin knocked down both the water and firebenders with his disks and Rainbow with her flying fire attacks. The opposing team was already growing exhausted and the two friends took the opportunity and sent the group flying over the back of the ring and into the water, clinching their win once the bell sounded.

"And the Fire Ferrets win the match! It was a close call, but this underdog team have come out on top once again!"

Rainbow Dash and Bolin leaped for joy, hugging and high fiving but their victory came to an end when they saw Rarity, her ears lowered down while gripping her arm.

"Rarity…" Bolin extended his hand to reach her, but the pony pulled back. Tears swelling up in her eyes before she took a willful dive into the pool and swam away from the arena, leaving the two Fire Ferrets and Team Avatar to look on with concern.

Once Rarity got out of the water she made a mad dash for the exist, not looking back.

(~)

The unicorn ran towards the rest room, removing her helmet and angrily tossing it to the floor and angrily removing the band that held her ponytail, allowing her now sweaty hair to fall against her back. She didn't even care how embarrassingly clingy it looked. She even began to angrily rip the sleeves off of her pro-bending outfit, seeing the bruise on her arm. It wasn't as bad as when Bolin took it, but it still hurt. Using her bending, Rarity levitated water from the sink and started healing her arm. In a matter of moments it was already partly healed. She proceeded to remove the rest of her gear, leaving behind only the red turtleneck undershirt and her pants and boots. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming from her eyes and over her cutie mark while the voice of that taunting waterbender was heard.

_"This is an arena, not a runway!"_

Rarity sobbed, hanging her head as her long bang hid her face from view. "Who was I kidding?" she said to herself in between sobs. "Guess I'm not as good a waterbender as I thought." with that, she dropped the remaining piece of her sleeve she was holding, opened the bathroom door and ran off, morphing into her pony form and galloping away. The sound of her trotting echoed through the halls as she made her way out of the arena, her vision nary blurry from her tears.

(~)

Korra ran up to the others, "Any sign of her?"

"No." Flash said with a shake of his head.

"We looked everywhere." Mako said with a worried look in his eye.

"All we found was this." Fluttershy showcased the ripped clothing she and Pinkie Pie found in the restroom. Korra took the fabric in her hands, gripping it tightly.

"This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Korra." Rainbow insisted. "You didn't force her to be a part of the team, none of us did."

"Then why do I feel so terrible?" the Avatar said with a sign.

"Let's try and locate her with our Elements." said Twilight, gripping her friend's hand tightly. The two princesses, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony focused their magic together, only to come out rather shortly.

"It's no use, she's blockin' us." said Applejack in dismay. "Guess she doesn't want to be found."

"She might be blocking us, but not entirely." said Korra, "I managed to get a reading on where she's heading. Come on!"

(~)

Rarity continued galloping along the streets of the city, slowly slowing her trotting. On all four legs, Rarity was incredibly fast. So fast, she managed to run two whole blocks. She eased up her running once she realized something peculiar about this area. It looked suspiciously familiar to a certain location where she and her friends were engaged in a battle against a group of Equalists after Bolin was kidnapped. The unicorn didn't like this place. She was so sure she had taken the turn that led to Narrok's but apparently, in her blurry haze, she got the street signs mixed up.

She gasped once she heard the sound of a garbage can falling, and several rats came running out at top speed. She slowly began to walk back from where she came from, only to hit her head against a human leg, which smelled of motor oil and cheep cologne. She looked up and gasped upon seeing a familiar sleazy face wearing a white and blue fedora and long blue trench coat.

"Viper!"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't one of the Avatar's little ponies?" he said, his voice sounding as sleazy as ever. Rarity immediately morphed back into her anthro form, which didn't seem to phase the Triad member.

"What do you want?" Rarity asked, her eyes narrowing and her voice sounding more angry than intimidating.

"Better question: What are you doing in our turf?"

"I took a wrong turn. Believe me, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here. Now, if you will please move aside so that I may leave your…'turf', in peace."

Viper let out a chuckle, which was latter followed by more chuckling, and two more of his goons appeared from the shadows behind him. "Oh, tough talk from somepony who's all alone."

"Very well. I'll just take the other path." Rarity said as she turned around, only to see more of the Triads emerge, smiling sleazily at the pony. "How exactly did you ruffians get out of prison?"

"That honor goes to the giant spirit monster man who destroyed the police building."

One of the goons, Two-Toed Ping, tapped Viper on the shoulder, his voice trembling. "Uh, I don't think it's a good idea to mess with her, boss. She's one of the Avatar's ponies, remember? And you know what happened to her, right? She's got wings and magical powers, she can turn us into squirrel frogs is she wanted to!"

"Oh, she can." Rarity said bluntly. It was an obvious bluff but they didn't know that.

"All the more reason to keep her with us as our honored guest." said Viper, "If the Avatar hears we have one of her unicorns for ransom we can get her to give us free leverage out of this joint."

"As much as I would love to never see you again, it won't work." Rarity crossed her arms. These goons didn't frighten her one bit.

But Viper was not one to be trifled with. "Come on boys. Let's remind this little pony what happens to those who mess with the Triple Threat Triads."

The entire group of Triads gained up on Rarity, and the pony stood her ground. This wasn't a pro-bending arena, so she had nothing to prove to anybody. Besides, she's handled big and stupid brutes like these guys before, they didn't intimidate her.

Viper unleashed his water whip at the unicorn, but Rarity took the whip in her hand and use ditto instead to wrap it around Viper's ankle, freezing it in ice, yanking on the whip and tossing the waterbender over her head, knocking him into a pile of garbage cans.

The unicorn grinned at the opposing benders. One aimed a fire attack at the unicorn, but she flipped and summersaulted away, this time keeping a perfect balance of herself by….striking a pose. Poses helped her keep balance. She kept one leg partly bend, with one stretching outwards, with the one harm holding her whip and her free arm outstretched.

"Who's next?"

The earthbender stomped his foot and send an earth rock at Rarity, but the unicorn once again avoided the attack. Her foot landed in a puddle of water and she immediately got an idea. With the water she already had, and the water she had recently found…after cleaning off the gunk off of the waters first…she bended three individual traces of water, levitating them beside her and turning them into powerful ice shards.

One by one, and with amazing speed, Rarity send the ice shards directly at each of the triads, piercing their clothing which sent three of them against a wall, and one had his shirt ripped right off, revealing his undershirt. He quickly covered himself in embarrassment only to be knocked down by Rarity's water whip.

Her pony ears perked up and immediately flipped out of the way, spiraling gracefully into the air and unleashing a dazzling display of shimmering ice shards at the man who attempted to come up from behind her, knocking him down and pinning him against the ground. With her horn glowing, Rarity made the shards that had the men stuck to the side of the buildings and froze them solid, turning them into ice cuffs.

"Nice moves." said another voice from behind her. Viper lunged forward and tackled the anthro pony down, gripping her wrists and pinning them against the ground. "But you're playing with the big boys now, little pony."

"Stop…calling me…_little pony!_" Rarity cried out at the top of her lungs and kicked Viper right in the stomach with her knee, knocking the wind right out of him and causing him to loosen his grip on her. Taking the change, Rarity punched him square in the jaw, morphed into her pony form and galloped away from him onto to morph back once she was free. Viper groaned, gripping his stomach only to scream in terror when the unicorn bended a huge portion of water at the man, freezing him against the wall with his goons. She moved her arms in the most fast and graceful way imaginable, completely freezing him from the neck down.

Once the fight was over, Rarity smiled triumphantly.

"Rarity!" a voice called out from above and the Princess Avatar landed before her friend, who quickly rushed on over to hug her.

"Korra!"

The rest of Team Avatar arrived just in time, also hugging the unicorn. "Thank goodness you're okay." said Twilight after hugging her friend, only to wince when she saw all of the disoriented and passed out Triads spread out with their bodies encrusted in ice, preventing them from escaping. "Ooooh, but they are not."

"How did you find me?" Rarity asked.

"Guess a part of you really did want to be found." Korra said with a wink. "Somewhere deep down."

"Rarity, did you take these guys out all on your own?" Applejack asked in awe.

"Oh please, it wasn't that hard." the unicorn said with a grin until Korra took her hands, looking at her friend with an apologetic look in her eye.

"Rarity, I'm really sorry."

"For what?"

"For what I said. I should have given you better advice, or thought more about what I said before-"

"Korra, you have nothing to apologize for. You gave wonderful advice. It's not your fault I'm not good at pro-bending."

"Are you kidding? Look at what you did!" the Avatar showcased the moaning triads Rarity had single handedly defeated. "You defeated all of these triads by yourself. Rarity Style!"

"That's why you were so off your game back there." Rainbow Dash said, placing a hand on Rarity's shoulder. "You tried playing like any other waterbender, but that's not how _you_ do it."

"But I couldn't go out there posing and moving the water like a dancer."

"Why not?" Bolin asked, smiling. "Look Rare, every bender has their own unique style and form, and yours is being the stylish fashion forward pony you are."

"But-but what if I humiliated myself and all of you? You heard what that Tigerdillo said. It's an arena, not a runway."

"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Korra said, catching the pony's attention. "You don't have to change yourself to-"

"-to step out of your comfort zone…" Rarity finished for Korra, her eyes widening in realization. "You're right. Guess, _I_ was the one who took your advice and twisted it around, all because I was too insecure."

"It's okay." Korra wrapped her arms around the pony, hugging her. "You were scared, I get it. But no matter what happens, we still love you."

"We do." said Rainbow Dash, "I'd rather lose a match than lose my best friend."

"Same here." Bolin said as he and the pegasus joined in the hug, which increased once the entire Team Avatar embrued their unicorn friend. All this time, he thought she had to change herself in order to try something new, and something she sincerely wanted to try. Now she realized she didn't have to. Rarity wiped away her happy tears.

"Oh, thank you everyone. I'm sorry I was foolish before." said Rarity once the hug came to an end. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's send these ruffians back to prison and get back to the arena!"

"Um, you don't have to play if you don't want to, Rarity." Bolin said. "We totally understand."

"I beg your pardon? I never turn my back on an important task before, and I don't intend to start now. But, before I do, I'm going to need my pro-bending outfit, a sowing kit, and a bag of caramel corn!" she stopped when she noticed everyone looking at her with a confused expression. "What? All this fighting worked up an appetite."

(~)

With the Triads safely behind bars, Rarity got straight to work. Since there was only a few minutes before the next game to begin, Korra and the other girls helped Rarity out with her project. She was most definitely going back out there, but this time, she would play the game her way.

Once she was done, she stepped into the locker rooms, where Rainbow Dash and Bolin were waiting. Rarity had completely customized her pro-bending uniform. While it was still the same in basic design, the coloring was changed to shades of purple and blue, added with an image of her cutie mark on the chest and a few sparkles here and there. The unicorn wore it with confidence.

"Let's win this!"

The bell rang and the games begun once more and the Fire Ferrets were facing against a new team of opponents. Team Avatar watched happily when Rarity walked out into the arena, proudly showing off her unique pro-bending uniform. Now _that _was the Rarity they all knew and loved.

"The first round has begun and I'm still curious to what Rarity's plan is. While she is working that new look, I'm afraid a makeover won't be enough to save the FIre Ferrets." Shiro announced, but Rarity was far from worried this time.

Rainbow Dash and Bolin kept on fighting against the opposing team, but they managed to lure the two into a corner, leaving Rarity all by herself. They must have already known Rarity was the weak link on their new team, and were taking advantage of their chase.

"I swear folks, I'm having flashbacks!" Shiro said, his eyes widening, "Bolin and Rainbow Dash are cornered to the side, unable to come to Rarity's rescue, and the opposing team is taking their shot at the-Wait a minute, hold the phone folks she's!…Actually, what is she doing, I don't know!"

Rarity was doing what she should have done from the beginning: Strut her stuff like the fabulous unicorn she was. She moved the water just as she did back with the targets, hitting the opponents over and over with the same water whip and majestically flipping from side to side, and each landing was a perfectly balanced pose, but not too complicated enough for her to easily move out of the way when needed. She spun around, avoiding the incoming attacks and unleashing she water when needed. She was bending as if she were dancing like an elegant water nymph, it was unlike anything they had ever seen. This unicorn turned pro-bending into a work of art. It was amazing.

"I don't believe my eyes, folks! Rarity, the Element of Generosity, is moving like I've never seen any waterbender do before! It's like she's turning this bending style into a form of art and it is beautiful! She's just full of surprises, just like the Avatar!"

From the balcony, Korra's heart swelled up with pride. Rarity did it, she was being herself. She was trying something new, and still being the wonderful pony that she was.

For a moment, the opposing team got distracted by the pony's movements that Rainbow Dash and Bolin took this chance to really fight back. Before long, the Fire Ferrets were in perfect sync, working together and Rarity embracing her unique style.

This carried on for the rest of the games and Rarity couldn't get rid of the smile on her face. She was having the time of her life, laughing and defeating the opponents. After two whole rounds, the Fire Ferrets came out on top, and the third one would be their last. But this time, the earthbender managed to knock Bolin so far back, he hit zone three. Now it was up to Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"The Fire Ferrets have managed to come this far, but with Bolin all the way back to zone three, I'm skeptical on how these ponies are going to get themselves out of this one."

But, the two ponies knew they could handle it. They shared the same grins before Rarity aimed a water attack at the firebender, distinguishing his fire and using a powerful water whip to knock him back to zone three. Rainbow Dash saw her chance and aimed her fire at the earthbender, this caused him to lose his balance and get knocked down. The two ponies gave it their all and before long, all three of the benders were knocked over the back of the arena and into the water, just as the bell rang.

"It's a knockout folks! The Fire Ferrets win again!"

The entire arena bursted into applauds, people and ponies rose form their seats, cheering and chanting the team's name. Rainbow and Rarity hugged while jumping up and down like excitable school girls. Bolin ran up and hugged the two ponies, practically lifting them up from the ground. Team Avatar cheered like mad, hugging, laughing and Pinkie throwing confetti left and right. They did it, they won the match, and Rarity did it all by being herself.

Korra and Twilight flew downwards and embraced the team in a great big hug. Korra removed Rarity's helmet and ruffled her hair. "See? I told you you didn't have to change."

"Actually, you're wrong Korra." Rarity said, confusing the Avatar a bit. "I did change. But…in a good way. I guess I can be a fashion forward pony and an action warrior at the same time. I mean, if it works for you it can certainly work for me."

"I'm so proud of you." Korra said as she hugged her pony friend, who was rather surprised when somebody from the audience had tossed her a single rose. Korra rolled her eyes but kept her smile. "Go right ahead. YOu deserve it."

Rarity squealed with delight and stepped froward, bowing to her adoring public, who chanted her name. This may not officially be a runway, but tonight, it most certainly felt like it.

_Listen, here's what it's all about_

_I tell you_

_Life is a runway_

_Time to bring what's on the inside out_

_Into the Light!_

_Into the light_

_Into the light_

_Into the light!_

_Oh,_

_Into the light_

*(~)*

_See? And you guys thought Rarity was nothing more than a pretty face. Ha! Just because a girl is into fashion doesn't mean she can't be strong. And sometimes it's good to step out of your comfort zone, but you don't have to change yourself in order to do so. But, ironically, Rarity did change. Just, not in the way she expected._

_Well, only one story left. Hope to see you next time for another_

Tales of Equestria!


	20. Varrick-Apple-Tale

_"Wow, I never thought I'd get here so soon. It feels like I only just started telling you these stories. But, all things must come to an end I suppose. _

_Now, I've already told you many stories involving Team Avatar, but there is one friend I haven't spoken much about._

_Varrick!_

_Yes, I know he did some time in the slammer but, just like me, he needed friendship to help him get on track. Unlike me, he wasn't that far gone. He still had some good left in him, but he just needed the extra push to get there._

_*(~)*_

**Proverbs 13:4~**

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

***(~)***

**Varrick-Apple-Tale**

Just like the rest of Equestria, Sweet Apple Acres received quite the physical makeover since the Great Change. The farmhouse now had finer details, one could actually see the designs of the wood that was used to build this place. The trees never looked more beautiful and the apples looked twice as juicy and fresh. The Apple Family was hard at work on the farm, just as they always were, but today they would be receiving a very special guest. One who would be spending some quality time with them serving his sentence, curtesy of the new Princess Avatar.

That guest was none other than Varrick himself. He agreed to these terms, having realized how wrong he was to try and kidnap the president just for his own amusement. But, the moment he saw those beautiful lights in the sky, the reality dawned on him how he helped in nearly preventing this from happening. The lights and colors worked their way into his heart and something just triggered. Something he thought he had lost long ago. He was never really a bad guy, he was just misguided. In a very twisted and crazy way.

The newest member of the royal court, Mako, led the man towards the farmhouse. It was already midday, and the billionaire only carried one luggage, since Korra had suspended him from all of his riches until he learned his lesson.

"Well, here we are." Mako said, proudly showcasing the apple farm. "Sweet Apple Acres. Nothing but trees, fields, apples and good old hard honest work. The humblest place in Ponyville."

"Well not that humble. Look, they got a bunch of little farm houses for the kids."

"_Those_ are hay barns, _that's_ a tool shed, and _that's_ a chicken coop." Mako corrected, pointing his finger at each one of the small wooden house-like structures.

Varrick's eyes widened, "They have a coop just for the chickens? When I was growing up in my father's farm we never had a coop for chickens!"

"You grew up on a farm?…Really?" Mako asked with his arched eyebrow.

"I'll have you know, before I became the captain of industries you see before you, I was the son of a poor seal-hunter."

"So what happened?"

"I got tired of that life and managed to expand my business from a single canoe into a global enterprise by being one step ahead of the competition!"

"Thus, turning into the greedy, money grubbing backstabbing man you are today."

"Exactly!" Varrick said with a wide smile, outstretching his arms, but the unamused look on Mako's face only made the temporarily former billionaire to droop his arms in disappointment, as well as his face. "I'm gonna be here a while, aren't I?"

"You'd rather be back in prison?" Mako asked. Varrick opened his mouth to reply, only to be stopped when Mako covered it with his hand, "Don't' answer that." he said. After witnessing just how his old prison cell was it wouldn't be much of a punishment. "Princess Korra will be arriving in two weeks to check on your progress." Mako said after removing his hand from Varrick's mouth.

"Well, you can tell that pretty princess of yours that she's got nothing to worry about. I'm gonna prove that I'm can be a changed man! By the way, mind carrying my bag, it's already getting heavy." Varrick shoved his luggage at Mako, and the firebender felt the heavy thing hit his stomach. But Mako shoved it back to Varrick with even greater force, knocking the wind right out of him once it hit his stomach.

"First lesson in honest living: Carry your own weight." Mako said, crossing his arms.

"This modest living's not as easy as I remember." Varrick said, once gaining his oxygen back.

"That's how I feel about this conversation." Mako narrowed his eyes and took the lead, walking down the small hill towards the farmhouse. "Come on, let's go introduce you to the Apple Family. Please try not to give them a hard time."

"Come on, have you met me?"

"You're really not making this any easier."

In the fields, Applejack was apple bucking the apples into the basket. Varrick was impressed by the little pony's raw power. She truly was talented, and stronger than she looked. She briefly stopped her work once she saw the two men approach her. She smiled when she greeted Mako, but frowned when she saw Varrick.

"Hey, Mako…and Varrick. I almost forgot you were commin' today."

"Good to see you again, Apple….uh, was it Apple_buck_ or Apple_jack_?" Varrick asked, struggling to remember her full name.

"Jack. Apple_jack_."

"Right, I knew it was an 'ck' sound."

Mako only sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was torturous, even for him. "You sure you still want this guy?" he asked the country pony. Even she didn't deserve this kind of torture.

"By order the Princess Avatar, remember?" Applejack reminded him. "Besides, some good old fashion hard work will do him some good."

"I hope so. I'm starting to think this guy's a lost cause."

"Hey, I'm standing right here!" Varrick exclaimed, annoyed that they were speaking as if he wasn't there. "Besides, you of all people would believe in second chances, right Mako?" he said as he wrapped his arm around Mako's shoulder, only to have the firebender remove said arm and step aside.

"Good luck." Mako said, before walking away, leaving Applejack to the task at hand.

"I'm gonna need it." said the country pony in reply.

"You know I'm still here, right?" Varrick reminded her while raising up his hand.

"Well, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. Right this way, I'll introduce you to my family."

With luggage in his hand, Varrick followed the earthbending pony back to the farmhouse. He had to admit, he had already forgotten what it was like to be near a farmhouse. Even the one his father owned was never this detailed. So much effort and care was put into making this piece of architecture. It truly was amazing. Varrick was awoken from his thoughts when Applejack spoke again.

"Howdy, ya'll! Come over here and meet Varrick."

The pony had a particularly small number of family members. First there was an incredibly strong looking red stallion with green eyes and orange mane and tail. A younger pony, lacking a cutie mark on her flank, was of pale yellow with red hair and tail, and wearing a big pink bow. The last was an elderly pony in a lime green color, covered in wrinkles and snoring on a rocking chair. A drop of drool hanging off the side of her mouth.

"Varrick, I'd like you to meet my little sister, Apple Bloom. That's my older brother Big Mac, and Granny Smith."

"Is she still alive?" Varrick asked, looking at the sleeping granny pony.

"Oh, I'm alive alright." Granny Smith said, spontaneously waking up and looking at the tall human. "I just don't dare look at that there nasty face of yours ya backstabbin' varmint!"

"Oh, I see my reputation processed me here." Varrick said, with an unusual amount of pride in his tone.

"How are you proud of that?" Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow as if this man were out of his mind. Which, to some degree, he was.

"Isn't he that same guy who framed Mako and tried to kidnap the president while also sending weapons to the south illegally." Apple Bloom asked, standing beside her big sister and wrapping her hoof around her leg, narrowing her eyes at the criminal.

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Look, I know I did some bad things." Varrick said, only to receive a few dirty looks from the ponies. "Okay, _a lot_ of bad things, but that's why I'm here. I've decided to try and make an honest living by getting back to my old forgotten roots and work on a farm!"

"I thought you were sent here by Princess Korra to pay for your crimes." said Apple Bloom, eyeing him suspiciously.

"That too. So, where will I be sleeping?" he turned to the oldest Apple, "Hey you, Big Fella."

"It's Big Mac." Applejack reminded him.

"Right, right,take my bag will ya? Thanks!" the human man dropped his bag onto the male pony's back. But Big Mac immediately bucked it right off of him. His nostrils flaring at the human.

"Nnnope!" he said with a growl underneath his breath.

"We don't have a spare room for ya, so we set you up a nice place inside the barn." Applejack said as she led Varrick to the said barn, which was already set with a bed made out of hay, added with a pillow and blanket. There really wasn't anything more to be seen except for a few barn supplies.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Varrick exclaimed, "You guys get to sleep in your warm and cozy beds while I stay here sleeping in the barn like an animal?…no offense."

"It was all we could find that was big enough for you. Unless you want to sleep in a smaller bed that will support only your upper torso."

Varrick looked back and forth from the bard to the pony before walking right inside. "You know what, it's growing on me."

"Good, make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back to check up on ya." Applejack walked out of the barn and closed the door halfway, allowing Varrick the space to make himself at home. Though, there really wasn't much.

He might have mentioned he wanted to change his ways, but he never knew it would be _this_ hard. And he only just got here. Still, he should at least try to make the most out of it. With Zhu Li away, and with no one else to tend to his every need, he would have to face the horrible, terrifying truth…he'd have to do things all by himself!

Well, first thing was first, see if his bed was okay to sleep on. To his surprise, it was…so soft in fact that his entire lore torso was halfway sunk down into the hay, giving in to his weight. The man groaned in annoyance.

(~)

Back inside, Applejack was working in the kitchen, when Apple Bloom walked up towards her. "You sure we can trust this guy?" she asked.

"Korra really thinks this will be best for him." Applejack replied as she took out one of the dinner plates and her grandmother's apple pie. "Besides, she did see that there is some good in him. Let's just all try and be the best hosts we can be for him. If he's gonna start changin' his ways, we need to set a good example. Right Big Mac?"

The older Apple sibling sighed in defeat. "Eeeyep." he said with hesitation. It was their family motto to be welcoming, but eh had his doubts on this man.

"Well, I still don't know, but I reckon we could try." Granny Smith said, now sitting on the chair inside the house.

"That's the spirit!" said Applejack with a smile. She took a plate into her mouth, which carried a slice of apple pie and handed it to her younger sister, who took it in her hoof. "Apple Bloom, why don't you go and bring Varrick a slice of apple pie as a welcome gift."

"You got it, big sis!" Apple Bloom balanced the plate on her head and walked back out towards the barn, humming a little tune as she did. Once she arrived, she pushed the already opened door a tad further for her to enter. She opened her mouth to call for Varrick, but stopped the moment she saw the man dangling from the roof, his legs and upper torso tangled in rope, dangling back and forth and holding an empty lantern in his hand.

"Uh, what happened?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I was trying sprucing up the place by making myself a home made chandelier, but Zhu Li is the one who usually does it, so I tried it myself and…well, this happened."

"Hang on, let me help you down." Apple Bloom placed the plat on top of a nearby barrel and untiled the rope around Varrick, causing him to fall flat on his face.

"Thanks, kid."

"It's Apple Bloom." she said as Varrick sat back up, rubbing his head.

"Well, I've had worse scrapes. So, what'd ya need?"

"Actually, I came to bring you this." the filly kindly gave Varrick the plate with a slice of apple pie. "It's my Granny's home made apple pie!" she said with a smile.

Varrick looked at the pastry with intense curiosity. He'd never heard of apple pie before, nor had he ever seen it before. "Apples baked into pies?….Who'd have thought."

"Try it!" Apple Bloom insisted.

Varrick took the fort gently and inserted it into the sugary pastry, the smell of sweet apples reached his nose. It certainly smelled good. Taking a forkful, he opened his mouth wide and ate it. In only a few short seconds, he felt like there was a party in his mouth.

"Wow! This is amazing! It's like a sugary, fruity party in my mouth!"

"You humans don't get much apple pies, do ya?"

"Can't say we do! Where'd you buy it?" he asked before taking another bite, humming in satisfaction.

"Oh, we didn't buy it, we made it."

"No, seriously."

"I am being serious. We Apples are famous for our home made Apple Pies, Apple Cider, Zap Apple Jam, Apple Fritters, you name it!"

Varrick swallowed his latest bite before speaking again, "So, basically your merchandise is Apple related?"

"We wouldn't call it 'merchandise', it's really more a labor of love."

"How many of those things do you sell? Like about a million pies a year? How about that Zap Jammy stuff? How much do you charge per gallon?"

"Um…I never really thought much about it. We just make the stuff we know ponies need. We don't charge that much really, mostly we try and make it even and fair for everypony. We're an honest business who gives folks what they need when they need it."

Once Varrick was done with his slice of pie, he wrapped his arm around the little filly. "You listen here kid, one of the many things I learned as a business man is that if you want folks to buy your product, you've got to milk it for everything it's worth! You can't just let folks buy something when "they want it", you gotta show them that they need it! Heck if you guys promote your apple based goods more you'd be able to afford an even bigger barn house and an even bigger coop for those chickens!"

"I never really thought about it that way, but I don't really think that-"

"Trust me kid, if there is anything I know, it's business."

"I thought you came here to learn about honest livin'." Apple Bloom said, arching an eyebrow.

"That doesn't mean I can't teach you guys how to run a proper business."

"But, our family isn't all about makin' money, it's about givin' ponies what they need. Applejack always says; "Money don't make you rich, hard work makes you rich", and she's the smartest pony I know."

"That's cute. You know what kid, I like you. Ya got some spunk, and I like spunky!"

"Um…thanks? Anyway, I've got to go do the dishes. Try not to get tangled this time, okay?"

"You got it. And keep that Apple promotion idea in mind. I think it's a keeper!"

"Sure." Apple Bloom gave a hesitant chuckle and left the barn. While the idea of being able to sell more apple based goods wasn't so bad, she was hesitant to trust him completely on it. After all, he was in prison and was sent here to make up for his crimes. Would it have been wise to let him still carry on his greedy ways?

Her thoughts: No. No it wouldn't.

(~)

The next morning, Varrick was sound asleep, finally being able to get himself comfortable in his new hay bed. The sound of a rooster crowing made the man turn over and cover his ears with the pillow. He jolted up, screaming in shock when the barn doors flew open, allowing more of the first ray of sunshine to enter the barn, and a shadow of a pony could be seen outstretched on the floor.

"Rise and shine!" Applejack said, her voice loud and booming.

"What's the big idea?!" Varrick exclaimed once Applejack walked right in.

"I told you, we always get up at the crack of dawn, remember?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't." he said before yawning and getting back to sleep….only to suddenly fall from his bead due to a tiny earthquake Applejack just made.

"If you're gonna be stayin' here, you're gonna have to work like the rest of us." Applejack pulled off the apron which she carried on her back and tossed it to Varrick. The white fabric landed right on his face. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres Boot Camp!"

(~)

With his apron now firmly ties around his waist, and having eaten a good breakfast, Varrick followed Applejack to the outside of the farmhouse. Apple Bloom galloped on by with a basket in her mouth, approaching the chicken coop. "Whoa now, little sister. That's Varrick's job today."

"What is?" Varrick asked.

"First thing on your list of chores is get the eggs out of the chicken coop."

"Well, that doesn't sound so hard." he said with pride, until…

"Then feed the pigs, pick up the baskets of apples I bucked yesterday, clean the plow, paint the picket fence with a new patch of white pain, then paint the side of the barn with red paint, feed the pigs again and do the dices after dinner tonight."

Varrick's jaw was practically to the floor. "How am I supposed to do all of that in one day?!"

"Well, then I suggest you get started." Applejack said before tossing the basket at Varrick, who caught it in his hands. The pony gave him a smug smile. "Start with the chickens."

The billionaire groaned bitterly but complied. This was part of his sentence, so he had to comply. He'd never worked with chickens before, the only thing closest to a bird was an ostrich-horse he had when he was a child, but that didn't work out so well. Story for another time.

With as much courage as he could master, he got down and poked his head into the coop while the two Apple sisters watched. "Here, little chickens. Don't get scared, Uncle Varrick's just here to get some-hey, wait. What are you-Ow! No, stop! Bad chickens! Bad chickens! Not in the eye! Ow! Help!"

Applejack and Apple Bloom winced as they saw feathers and even a few traces of hair flying all around from the entrance of the coop, and Varrick ran out, screaming like a little girl. Once he was done, he panted and came to a stop in front of the girls. His face was scratched, his hair was a mess, his mustache was frizzled and the collar of his short was partly ripped apart.

"It was come and go, but I did it! I got the egg!" Varrick proudly showcased the basket, which had only one shinny bright white egg.

"Not bad, Varrick." Applejack said, making the man cheer in victory.

"Yes!"

"Now, you just have to get all the rest."

His eyes widened and stopped his celebrating. His eyes darted back to the chickens, whom he could have sworn one of them was pounding its wings together in an intimidating fashion.

This was going to be a long day.

(~)

After _finally_ getting the eggs, and loosing a bit more blood and some hair in the process-mostly blood-Varrick had already fed the pigs, picked up the basket of apples and was now working on cleaning the plow. It was already eleven thirty in the morning, and he was already feeling exhausted. But, to his amazement, Applejack was perfectly fresh and juicy.

He observed the pony and her siblings work just as hard as him, if not more. They were up at the same time he was, so why weren't they exhausted already? Even with the sweat dripping from their brows they didn't falter. They didn't complain, they didn't whine, they didn't even say they were tired. They did it all with a bright and happy smile on their faces. Varrick wondered how they could enjoy doing this kind of work, and all by themselves. Even as a child he never liked working on a farm, that's why he left. He had to know their secret.

"The plow's commin' along great, Varrick." said Applejack as she approached him, carrying a plate on her back. A plate that had a sandwich and a glass of ice cold lemonade. "Why don't you take a break and have some lunch."

Varrick blinked as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His stomach was growling and the sandwich looked so good. He didn't even care if it had oats in it, he just wanted to eat. He hadn't eaten since his early breakfast this morning. The man sat beside the plow, too tired to go inside and simply took the plate and took a gigantic bite and drank the lemonade, allowing the refreshing liquids hydrate his body.

"Thanks." he said, finally being able to speak once he was eating.

"You know, you really surprised me today. I didn't think you'd last an hour, but you managed to do already half of the things I asked you to do. I'm impressed."

"I'm not!" Varrick said, after taking a few more bites of the sandwich, which was already halfway done. "I'm sweating half of my body weight, I've got blisters on my feet the size of a boulder, I lost half a quarter of my blood, and I'm going to be seeing chicken feathers in my nightmares! How do you do all of this? You guys have been working for as long as I have and you're not even the tiniest bit beat."

"Well, we've been doing this for a long time. You get used to it. Besides, it's really fun."

"Fun? No offense but how is working like a slave fun? I don't think I ever made Zhu Li do this much work, the most she does is my dry cleaning, schedules and carrying me if my legs are too tired. And she doesn't even flinch. The woman's a machine, while I'm a flabby little wimp! Why do you think I never do anything for myself?"

"Because you're too lazy and too accustomed to do things for yourself." Applejack said with a deadpan look.

"That too."

"Varrick, working' hard aint easy, not even for me and my family. We get tired, we get beat, we sweat up a storm like you wouldn't believe. But, when the goin' gets tough, I just remind myself of one simple little thing."

"And what's that?"

(Based on "Look for the Light", by Reba McEntire from The Land Before Time)

**Applejack:**

_When you're stuck all alone and you don't know where to go_

_When you're no longer so sure about what you know_

_You wonder which way is wrong_

_And which road is right_

_The one thing for you to do is just_

_Look for the Light_

Applejack yanked on Varrick's shirt, encouraging him to get back up. "Come on, I'll show ya. It's not as hard you might think."

_Look for the Light_

_One little spark _

_A little bit of hope to lead you out of the dark_

_Somewhere, deep inside of you_

_It's shinning so bright_

_All you gotta do is look_

_You gotta look for the Light_

Varrick listened to the pony's advice as she continued working around the farm, doing her fair chair of the shores, and all with a happy smile on her face. Varrick kind of understood what she was trying to say. If you've got to work hard, find what it is you're working for.

_If there's a wall, you just got to knock it_

_A big ol' rock, you have to jump it_

_Maybe you're tired, maybe you're scared_

_But the only thing you have to do_

_Is remember!_

_To look for the Light_

_Just open your eyes_

_You never know when you're gonna find a surprise_

_And if you start to ask yourself; Is it worth the fight?_

_Just listen to your sister, Mister_

_Come on and_

_Look for the Light!_

_Get up and look for the Light_

_Get up, and look for the Light_

_Just gotta look for the Light, _

_Oh, oh_

"Ya see?" When you're workin' hard, you just gotta remind yourself what you're workin' for. You understand now?"

Varrick tapped his chin in thought. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do. Thanks, Applejack."

"No problem. Now get back to work. You've still got a lot of chores to do."

(~)

At long last, night finally arrived. Varrick had done everything he was asked, even washing the dishes. The poor man practically dragged himself towards his hay made bed and collapsed, not caring that his weight slowly sunk him in further. It actually felt rather nice. He'd never felt this tired before in his life and he hoped he wouldn't have to again. He groaned when the barn doors opened. He didn't even bother to get up and see who it was.

"Leave me alone to die." he said dramatically.

"Oh, quit your fussin'." said Applejack as she walked in, "You barely scrapped the bottom of the barrel today. Which reminds me, you need to scrap the bottom of the barrels tomorrow."

"Are you serious?!" Varrick asked, his eyes wide as he turned to look at her.

"Well, we need clean barrels for the grapes tomorrow. We're gonna crush them grapes to make juice."

"You actually crush grapes to make juice? With what?"

"With our hooves, of course. By the way, make sure you clean your feet real good tomorrow." she said. Varrick only groaned in exasperation before planting his back onto the hay bed. Applejack rolled her eyes. "Look, I know this ain't easy, but just remember what I told ya."

"I know, I know. Look for the Light." Varrick said as he sat backup. "Unless it's too dark to find it."

"It's only as dark as you make it." Applejack said before handing him a plate of toasted bread with some rainbow colored butter on top and a glass of milk. "Thought you'd like a midnight snack to help you get to sleep."

Varrick looked surprised at the gesture. "Oh, um…thanks." he said as he took the plate with two toasted bread slices and the milk. The welcome pie was one thing, but this Applejack didn't even need to do. Yet, she did it.

"It's the last bit of Zap Apple Jam we had stored. Won't have another batch until the next harvest."

"The last one?" Varrick asked in bewilderment. "And you're giving it to me? Why?"

"Because I wanted to. You worked so hard today you deserve a little sweet reward. But don't get too accustomed." she warned with a grin. "You're hear to work, not get spoiled again."

Varrick was at a loss for words. No one had ever done anything this kind for him before. The only other person who did was Zhu Li, but that was to be expected because she was his assistant so of course she would do these things. But Applejack, she did it because she simply wanted to.

"Well….thank you, Applejack."

"You rest up now. Still got another big day tomorrow." the pony tipped her hat and walked out of the barn, closing the doors behind her, leaving Varrick alone to process his thoughts. The Zap Apple Jam was delicious, especially mixed with the crispy bread. It would take a while for the family to have more of the Zap apples to make this delicious jam, and they gave it to him.

"Nobody's…ever done anything like this for me before. It's so…what's that word again? Starts with a G, I think that white unicorn is supposed to represent it or something…Generous! That's it, generous!" his eyes widened once more as the reality dawned upon him and he gripped his stomach. "Wait, what is that feeling? It fells weird and bubbly in my tummy. Like, sad and happy at all once. It's creepy!" he exclaimed right before taking another bite of the toast. "But tasty!"

(~)

The next day, Varrick rolled up his sleeves once more and got to work. He fed the chickens, this time getting twice the less scratches, scrapped the bottom of the barrels and even got his first experience at juicing the grapes. It was most certainly a messy job, to say the least. But, Apple Bloom managed to make it fun. The rich man felt something wet hit his face. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and saw the little filly chuckling. A mischievous grin and took a handful of the halfway squashed grapes in his hand and tossed it at the little filly. Apple Bloom laughed and before long, the two were having a grape juice splash fight. Varrick's cloths and hair were covered in purple liquids, as was the filly, but it had been a long time since he had this much fun so it really didn't matter.

In the process, they even stomped harder on the grapes, making the juice for the jars, and had a whole lot of fun doing so as well. Varrick's hair was a complete mess, but he didn't care. He was laughing like he hadn't laughed in so long. Who'd have thought chores could actually be fun.

For the next couple of days, Varrick was slowly growing more and more accustomed to life on the farm. Though, that didn't mean he didn't take any small opportunity he had to set a bit. Of course, Applejack always caught him and he would go right back to work, if only to avoid any confrontation. He even assisted the Apples in selling a few of their apples, pastries and ciders in Ponyville. The man quietly observed the ponies buying their materials, but he also noticed how several of them had walked right on by. These ponies were hard workers, but weren't exactly the best at drawing in a crowd. Still, the family managed to make a bundle out of the apples they sold, which surprised even him. They would have gotten them a lot faster if they had shown a bit more razzle dazzle, but still it wasn't a total loss.

In all honesty, while working at the farm wasn't easy, the human man started to feel something change inside of him. She liked seeing the ponies happy, they fitted in so well into their farm life. But, a part of Varrick didn't feel like he fit it. It wasn't that he hatted farm life, he was beginning to like it, but he wondered if this was where he truly belonged. He missed his old life of traveling, making deals and building new machines, but he kind of liked this new hard working philosophy of theirs. He liked the satisfaction of doing things by himself and not having to rely on other for every tiny little thing. Even the Apples needed each other's help in order to get through the day, but overall they were all incredibly independent, even the old Granny Smith still carried some fire from her youth.

All of this was going through Varrick's mind as he loaded the lat sack of chicken food into the barn, coughing as the dust rose up and he fanned it away with his hands. He heard the sound of Apple Bloom giggling and peeked out to see both sisters having a game of catch the ball.

"Hey, Varrick!" Apple Bloom greeted the man while waving her hoof. "Wanna play with us?"

"Don't we have more work to do?" Varrick asked.

"Ah, we could all use a break." said Applejack. "Come on, it'll be fun." the pony tossed the ball at Varrick, who caught it in his hands. He had never played ball before, not even with kids his own age.

With a wide smile, the human male joined in the fun. Before long, the three of them were tossing the ball around, laughing and telling jokes as they played. The game carried on for a few hours, which felt like minutes for the three of them. Varrick had never had this much fun before, he couldn't even remember the last time he could just relax and laugh with friends.

That's probably because he didn't have any friends until now.

(~)

After dinner, Varrick retired to the barn, where he was greeted by Winona, Applejack's pet dog, who wagged her tail and licked his face in greeting. Varrick sighed as he petted her head.

"It's so funny, Winona. I used to be so sure about what I wanted but now…I don't know. The Apples have been to great to me, even if I am a cluts in the barn. Juts like I always was a cluts back in my dad's old farm. I just wish there was something I could do to thank them." he said. Winona barked in reply. "No, I've already done everything they asked me to do. I mean something they least expect. A surprise or something to show my appreciation. But what?"

Varrick began to walk back and forth inside the barn, pondering and pondering on what he could do for the Apples. But, the only other thing he was good at aside from now being able to do more things by himself was business. How to get people's attention. Then, Varrick remembered something Apple Bloom told him the day he arrived and what happened when they were selling their goods in town.

"Wait a tick. The Apples sell the best apple based goods in Ponyville, right?" he pounded his fist into his palm, "That's it! I'll just boots up their popularity a notch! After all, if there is one thing I'm good at, it's getting folk's attention." but while Varrick was excited about this plan, Winona began to whimper. "Come on, it's a great idea. I'll be doing them a favor. They're get so much bits into their saddle pockets they won't know what to do with them!"

It was settled, Varrick would do this for his new friends. However, the dog herself wasn't so sure if this was such a bright idea.

(~)

Varrick went straight to work. He peeked his head out of the barn door, his eyes scanning the area to make sure he wasn't seen before quietly tiptoeing outside. He made his way towards Apple Bloom's Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, where she kept many of her arts and crafts materials. Varrick was a man of many talents, and he had a pretty good creative eye. Though, his Nuktuk films would have said otherwise, but they were a big hit so he must have done something right. One he got the materials he needed: paper, pencils, a glue, and a few apple shaped stickers, he got to work.

He managed to find the biggest roll of paper the filly had in her clubhouse and used the scissors to cut it in a perfect square, using a ruler as his guide. He placed the piece of paper perfectly still on the wooden floor and looked down pensively. His index finger tapping his chin before getting an idea. He took a small notebook and pencil and sketched the idea he had in his mind. After a few tries, he finally found the perfect design. It was eye catching, bold and charismatic. Varrick felt like he was working on one of his old projects again. It felt good to get back to his roots. This motivated him to keep working all throughout the night.

He no longer cared how tired he was, he was determined to get this right. It took him a few hours, but he finally finished it. He waited a little while for the paint and glue to dry up, which did so rather quickly. Equestrian supplies must be really handy, he thought. Once that deed was done, he rolled his work up and silently made his way into town. All the houses in Ponyville were locked, with the lights either dim or shut off. It was already a half hour pass midnight, so everypony would logically be asleep by now.

Varrick spotted the perfect place to place the poster. A gazebo near city hall. He placed the edges of the paper to the very edge of the roof of the gazebo, making sure it was firmly secure. Once it was, Varrick smiled proudly at his accomplishment.

The Apple Family would be sure to get more costumers than ever before thanks to him. It felt wonderful to be doing what he enjoyed once more. He felt a rush of adrenaline and pride swell up from within him. He hadn't felt this way since he arrived at the farm.

(~)

The next day, Varrick whistled happily as he got to work, feeding the pigs. Applejack walked by him, carrying a basket of apples on her back. "You seem happier than a bunny on a bedspread." she said.

"What can I say, this place is really growing on me." Varrick replied, winking in her direction, which caught the pony somewhat off guard. Varrick was known to be rather sneaky, considering he was able to pull off such an elaborate scheme to kidnap the president during the civil war, but these past few days she noticed a change in Varrick. He had become more…well, likable. She would even admit she started to enjoy his company. When he wasn't trying to come up with his next money making scheme, he was funny, friendly, dedicated and even reliable. Applejack would even say he had come around faster than she thought, which was nothing short of a miracle.

"You know Varrick, I have a confession to make. I…wasn't all too thrilled about you coming here."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I wasn't too thrilled about coming her at first either."

"My point is, since you've been stayin' with is, well…" she scratched the back of her neck bashfully. "…you've been a joy to have around. Amazingly."

Varrick nearly froze in place. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Or, at least mean it. "Really?"

"I always thought you were nothin' but a greedy, self-centered business weasel, but I now see there's more to you than that. Korra was right about you, all you really needed was a push in the right direction. I'm really happy we're friends."

The human man's eyes blinked and he dropped the now empty bucket he was holding. "We're…friends?"

"Of course we are."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anythin'. You've already done plenty for me and my family."

"What do you mean? All I did was work on the farm and do what you told me to do."

"Exactly. You did all this without asking for anything in return. _That's_ the real reason why you were brought here."

The pony's words started to make Varrick feel strange inside. Suddenly, the idea he had last night didn't appear all that great anymore. He never needed to make them anything, they were perfectly happy just working hard and earning an honest living. Just when things seemed to be making sense again, they go and turn all upside down again.

"Somethin' wrong?" Applejack asked, noticing the distressed look on her new friend's face. Varrick knew he had to come clean about what he did.

"Uh…Applejack, there's…something I should tell you. I-"

"Applejack!" the little red-haired filly galloped towards her big sister, panting like she had just run a marathon. Her eyes wide in distress "You've got to come and see this!"

(~)

Applejack followed her little sister towards the front of the barn. The pony gasped in shock upon seeing a huge assortment of ponies standing in front of the barn, chatting amongst one another. They all appeared to be waiting for something.

Applejack approached her big brother and grandmother, both who were trying to keep the crowd steady. "What's all this about?" Applejack asked.

"You tell me!" Granny Smith replied, "These here ponies suddenly showed up askin' for our Zap Apple Jams and Apple Pies."

"But, why?"

"We saw it on your poster." one of the townponies said out loud.

"Poster? What poster?"

A unicorn levitated a long poster in front of Applejack. It was a neatly and eye catching decorated poster, with an image of Sweet Apple Acres, pictures of Apple Pies, Jam, cupcakes, fritters, cider, etc. and images of the apple family with yellow stars behind them. The corners were designed to resemble the curly Q designs that were already around the barn. While as lovely as it seemed, there was a writing that caught her attention.

"For all of your Apple loving needs, swing on by to Sweet Apple Acres, where you get what you want whenever you want it for the right price. Our hearts are open for everypony, and so is our barn! Don't waste another second, and swing on by." Applejack felt rather confused for this was not something she would have written. Neither her or anyone else in her family.

"We thought maybe you guys were having a sale on your Apple Cider." said the unicorn levitating the poster.

"Or had some Zap Apple Jam left!" another pony called out. Before long, a number of hooves began rising upwards, asking the Apples for their apple based goods while holding their bits up into the air.

"What are we gonna do, Applejack?" Apple Bloom said, her ears lowering in dismay. "We don't have anything for them right now."

"And we don't got the time to make a million apple pies for this crowd." said Granny Smith, "Why would you put up that there poster?"

"But I didn't!" Applejack exclaimed. Suddenly, her green eyes widened in realization and she turned to look back at Varrick, who fiddled with his fingers and was biting his lip nervously. The unicorn faced him, her eyes narrowing. "Varrick. Care to explain?" she asked sternly.

Varrick gulped before saying with a nervous smile, "Surprise!" he said, while making jazz hands, but he appeared to be the only one smiling. The rest of the Apples narrowed their eyes at him in anger. All of this was because of him.

Applejack sighed and addressed to the crowd. "I'm sorry ya'll, but I'm afraid there's been a misunderstandin'. I'm afraid we don't have anything to sell you today. Our guest here made that poster, but he wasn't entirely aware of what he was doin'." upon hearing this, the crowd murmured with one another, confused by this sudden change of plans. "I'm mighty sorry for the inconvenience. Please, accept these free apples as a sign of apology for wastin' your time." Applejack showcased them the buckets of bucked apples she had already obtained and gladly gave them up one by one to the crowd. It wasn't a complete loss, they were going to give those apples away anyway, and the orchard was still filled with them bright red beauties, but now Applejack would be behind on her chores because she would need to do another round. And all thanks to Varrick's little surprise.

The man tried hiding behind a tree like a cowards, only to be shoved back into the open by an angry Big Mac. The stallion flared his nostrils at the man.

"Varrick, what were you thinkin'?!" Applejack exclaimed, "Do you have any idea what you just did? You made our family appear dishonest and now I'm gonna have to do another round of buck the apples we had to give away. This is gonna put us so behind on our chores!"

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to do something nice to show you I've changed. So, I stayed up late last night and made you guys a promotional poster so you can get more costumers and make more money. I had good intentions."

"Really? Because sneakin' around, exaggeratin' the truth all to make money don't sound like good intentions."

"The money was for you guys! Making money is what I'm good at, not my fault those ponies took the words out of context!" he tried to defend his actions, but judging by the looks in the pony's eyes, she wasn't buying it. "Look, I'll make it up to you. I-I'll stay up pass midnight, I'll clean the chicken coop, I'll-"

"I'm not bad about the poster, Varrick. I'm not even mad about the misunderstandin'. I'm mad that you went behind our backs and pulled somethin' like this!"

"I just…" Varrick dropped his shoulders in dismay, "I wanted to show you I've changed."

"Have you? I can believe you had good intentions to begin with, but after seeing _this_ I gotta ask: Did you really do it because you wanted to, or did you just want to relive your glory days again?"

"I…I…" for once, Varrick was at a loss for words. He couldn't find a way to counter what the pony just said. Deep down, he knew there was some truth to what she just said. How could he have been so blind before? He was so caught up in the familiarity of his task he began to forget for who this was really for. The money might have been for the Apple Family, but the act itself was mostly for him. That took away all of the sincerity his originally good intention had. If it was all for them, it would have been shrugged off as a misunderstanding, but there was still selfish intentions behind this.

"I was wrong about." Applejack said, tipping her hat, the shadow covering her eyes. "You really _can_ do hard work….just so long as money and attention are the goal." with that, the pony turned around and walked away from Varrick. Apple Bloom looked up at the man in disappointment and followed her sister. Granny Smith and Big Mac did the same, proceeding to give away the apples to the crowd.

Varrick sighed and walked away from the scene, heading towards an apple tree and sitting down beside it. He never knew he could feel this bad. His heart felt like it was breaking.

"What was I thinking?" he asked himself. "I really messed up and now they won't even talk to me. And what's worse, now I have this really terrible feeling in my chest." he gripped the side of his chest where his heart was. "Like my heart is being stabbed by a pitchfork and thrown to a pack of wolf bats and feel like I want to kick myself repetitively. What is that feeling called again? Starts with a G also…guilt! That's the one, guilt!…Guilt." he hugged his legs, looking down at the grass with a hopeless expression. "Only I can turn a nice gesture into another money making attempt. Applejack's right…I haven't changed."

(Based on "How do you know" from The Land Before Time)

**Varrick:**

_Sometimes you think you know what's right_

_Then somebody comes along_

_And they show you what you thought was right_

_Might be a little bit wrong_

_Things can look so different_

_From someone else's side_

_You're half as smart as you thought you were_

_And the world seems twice as wide_

_How do you know who to listen to?_

_How to you know what to think?_

_When you see through someone else's eyes_

_Things can change in a blink_

_Do you hold on to the things you've learned_

_Or do you let them go?_

_When all you have is nothing_

_How do you know?_

He managed to get himself up and strolled along the appeal orchard in sadness. So many questions swarming in his mind at the moment. He felt something hit his head, which turned out to be an apple. He picked it up and began to envision the Apple Family happily together, and all the kindness they had shown him.

_Whenever they feel alone and lost_

_They run towards each other_

_They're each unique, and yet alike_

_True sisters and brother_

_They say if I listen hard_

_I can hear a voice inside_

_But what if it's a grumpy voice?_

…_..._

_It…_

_Can still be my guide!_

Then, just as hard as the apple had hit him, so did the answer he was looking for. Suddenly, everything became so much more clearly than before. His heart felt like it was being mended as he ran across the orchard. His eyes opening up for the first time, and he felt his spirits lift up.

_That's how you know who to listen to_

_Each and every day_

_All I need is a brand new start_

_To help me find my way_

_Keep my eyes and ears open wide_

_And they'll show me where to go_

_If I change my mind_

_Change my heart_

_Change myself!_

_That's how I'll know!_

_That's how I'll know who to listen to_

_Today and every day_

_That's how you know!_

_That's how you know!_

_That's how I'll know…._

"Now I know! Wow, these musical numbers really do work wonders!"

(~)

As the last pony left with its free basket of apples, the family saw Varrick approaching them. The human man had his hands behind his back and his head lowered in shame. The family only looked at him, not saying a word. He couldn't tell if they were just mad or disappointed or both. Most likely both, and he couldn't blame them.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking…and you're right. I hadn't changed. I guess a part of me was kind of missing my old life that I may have used this little stunt so I could feel that way again. But, just like before, all my greedy life ever did was push folks away, and folks who actually cared about me to an extent. First it was my buddy Bolin, and now you guys. I know no amount of apologizing will fix this, but I really want to make it up to you. The right way this time. No more secrets, no more scheming, no more money. I don't know if I ever really will change, but…I really do want to try. All I'm asking is a second chance."

The Apple Family looked at one another before looking back at Varrick. He stood there with worry, wondering if they would accept him once again or not. To his surprise, and even relief, the entire Apple clan hugged his legs.

Tears swelled up in his eyes and Varrick kneeled down, hugging them all while brawling like a baby. "Thank you! You guys are the greatest! I'm so happy and yet I'm crying like crazy!"

"Those are tears of joy, silly." Apple Bloom said with a giggle.

"I'm experiencing so many new emotions right now!"

(~)

Varrick didn't waste a second to get back to work. After helping the Apple Family with their chores, even Applejack with her second round of apple bucking, Varrick worked overtime, even staying up through the night to finish their chores. Once all was done, Varrick was still energized. He told the Apple family his idea to make it up to the townsponies for his mistake. With the apples that remained, the man and pony family made apple pies, apple fritters, cupcakes and caramel apples, dipped with nuts for extra flavor.

Working together with Big Mac, they fixed an old wagon and spruced it up nicely, painting it with bright reds and yellows and a lovely table cloth. The group pushed the wagon into town, which was covered by a blanket. Varrick calling out, getting the townsponies attention.

"Attention, everypony! I wanted to apologize for that little stunt I pulled the other day, so the Apple Family and I have a special treat for you guys. You wanted some good old fashion Apple Acres goods, well…now you got em!" he removed the blanket, revealing all of the delicious looking apple treats. It didn't take long before a line of ponies had formed and the group was already handing out treats left and right.

"There you go, don't crowd now. There's plenty for everybody."

"Only one two bits, each!" Granny Smith said and one pony happily handed her two bits and took

"Buy one, get one free!" Varrick said to a little filly once she payed for her caramel apple and handed her an extra one for free, which she shared with her best friend. The scene itself made Varrick's heart melt. It felt good to give these treats away, and even if the ponies still payed for them, for the first time ever, the sound of money wasn't what brought Varrick joy. It was handing out the sweets for the public, seeing their smiles and sharing the free ones with their friends and family.

It was incredibly different from what he did with the poster. That was partly for him, but this…this was entirely for everypony. Giving these things away to these wonderful creatures was what made Varrick work even harder. It was then, it finally dawned on him what Applejack meant before.

"Hey, Applejack. I think I finally figured it out!"

"Figured what out?" the pony asked.

"The real secret to working hard is to always keep in mind what you're working for. I used to work hard for myself, but now, seeing everypony so happy with what we did, I don't want to work for me anymore. I want to work for everypony!" Varrick then began dancing with the townsponies with such glee.

**Varrick:**

_I was lost, but now I'm found_

_My old ways, I'm no longer bound_

_No longer tired, no longer scared_

_Casue now the only thing I have to do_

_Is remember!_

_To look for the Light_

_One little spark_

_A little bit of hope to lead me out of the dark_

_Somewhere, deep inside of me_

_It's shinning so bright_

_All I had to do is look_

_Just had to look for the Light!_

**Applejack:**

_Look for the Light_

_And you're gonna see_

_You will find your way eventually_

A_nd you're not alone, 'cause you've got me_

**Apple Bloom: **

"And me!"

**Big Mac:**

"Eeeyep!"

**Varrick:**

_Don't get lost inside your greed_

_Listen to that Voice instead_

_Open up and let yourself be led_

_Come on and look for the Light!_

_Oh, look for the Light_

_Oh, look for the Light_

_Come on and look for the Light_

_Look at me, I've found the Light_

_Yeah!_

Varrick wrapped his arms around his new pony family and, received a little gift as well. Applejack pulled out an extra cowboy hat and placed it on Varrick's head, taking him by surprise. He didn't need words to know what this gesture meant. It meant that he would now, and always, be considered one of the family.

"I never thought I'd say this, but you've impressed me, Varrick." a voice said. A very familiar voice which made Varrick look up in shock and immediately straightened himself up. The ponies all bowed down before her as she walked towards the man, who also bowed.

"Princess Avatar Korra! You're excellency! I-I didn't expect to see you here…today."

"I thought you were commin' in two weeks." said Applejack as she approached her friend, who petted her head.

"I actually came by to get some cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner, and imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this little display." Korra crossed her arms as he boyfriend stood beside her.

"What is all this?" Mako asked, eyeing the man suspiciously. "Varrick, you're not up to any of your old schemes, are you?"

"Not at all, Uncle Mako!" Apple Bloom said with a sweet smile. "This was all Varrick's idea."

Mako blinked. "No, seriously."

"We are serious." said Applejack, "I'll admit, there was a little bump in the road, but Varrick has proven he really can change, and better yet he wants to. I know he's made a ton of mistakes, but just like Korra said, it was all because he was searchin' for something. And now, I think it's safe to say he might have finally found it. Right, Varrick?"

"That's right." Varrick bowed before the princess on one knee, bowing his head and placing a hand over his heart. "Deep down, I always knew I was using my talents for selfish reasons, but before I didn't care. But after realizing just how much my actions have hurt others, now even more, I realize I don't want to use my talents for myself anymore. I want to use them for good. I want to use my wealth to benefit others rather than just myself. I don't blame you for not trusting me just yet, but I hope with time I can earn your trust."

Korra kneeled down before Varrick and placed her hand over his heart, just like she did back at the jail cell. The princess smiled and kindly asked the man to stand back up. "I was right about you, Varrick. You're not so bad deep down. You just needed a little push in the right direction."

Varrick smiled and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Princess."

"Of course, you still have another whole week left of your time here."

"Yeah, I figured." he said, with a happy smile. "But, I think I've grown to like it here. And I promise, when I get back, I'll do my best to make you proud."

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Varrick turned to his new Apple Family, "Thanks you guys. For the first time, I feel like I'm part of a family."

"Well, even when you leave, you're always welcome here…partner." Applejack and Varrick shared one last hug, alongside Big Mac, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom.

As Korra happily watched the scene, Mako tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder. "I can't believe I'm saying this but…he's really improved."

"There's going to be a lot of changes from now on, Mako. He's just one of them."

Mako smiled as he hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You've got a big heart, princess."

"And that's why you love me."

"I do."

The two teens chuckled before sharing a loving kiss.

(~)


	21. Friendship through the ages

**"Hey, Discord!"**

"Ah!"

**"Ops! Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."**

"That's okay, I was just taking a little nap. Well, I finally did it. I told everyone each and every story."

**"You certainly did. You did as good a job as I did."**

"Maybe better…?"

**"Don't push it."**

"Worth a shot. So, what do you want me to do next?"

**"Actually…nothing."**

"I'm sorry, what?"

**"Nothing. I don't need you to do anything."**

"Well, what more is there to tell?"

**"We've already told the story, now it's up to the gang to decide what happens next."**

"So…this is it? Oh what, are we not good enough for you anymore? Is that it?"

**"Of course not. You guys mean so much to me. But, you know nothing lasts forever."**

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Korra and Mako have their kid. Asami and Bolin already have theirs. Twilight and Flash are married and a kid shouldn't be too far behind, heck even Zhu Li's expecting. Rarity and Applejack have their businesses, Pinkie Pie's now with that Cheese Sandwhich fellow, Sunset Shimmer's working at Future Industries, Fluttershy's with the airbenders, Rainbow's a cops, the Crusaders are growing up, Spike too, and the airbender kids…I never realized how fast things have changed."

**"You upset?"**

"A little but…I'll be okay. We'll all be okay. After all, when one story ends…"

**"Another begins. Thanks, Discord. Oh, there is one last thing I need you to add here."**

A piece of paper gets zapped into Discord's hand, much to his surprise. He reads the words out loud and smiles. Well, I know exactly where this beauty will go." he said as he zapped the paper into one of the books. "See you around, Maggie."

**"See you around, Discord."**

The spirits of chaos salutes and opens the door to step into the land of Equestria, where he sees his friends and family happily laughing together in perfect harmony. He smiled when little Iris came running up towards him and he gladly picked her up.

"Hey, little princess! You're growing bigger and bigger by the day-Ow!" he felt the little one powerfully tug on his beard. "And strong. Just like your parents."

"And don't you forget it." said the Princess Avatar as she came by to take her child, who giggled with delight as her mother kissed her forehead, right on the star mark, and her father tickled her chin.

"What kept you." the prince asked the spirit.

"Oh, just some last minute book organizing, is all."

"Well, come on. Granny Smith brought the Zap Apple Jam."

"Oh, my favorite!" Discord said with glee as he flew towards the picnic table to chow down with his family. A family that would only grow bigger and bigger as time went on.

It truly was a grand journey. One that began with the chance encounter of a simple man, two lost ponies and a prideful spirit who learned of humility. A friendship that transcend all the way to the forms of a young boy with an arrow and his group of friends, to a young Avatar, who became a princess, and Six Ponies who brought a little bit of magic into a lost world. Now, a new beginning was taking form before their very eyes. Wan's story had come to an end long ago, Aang's story had ended also, and Korra's was finishing, but for one final chapter, there is always another waiting to begin. Stories change, but the very core of what started them, shall remain the same.

Forever and always…

**Twilight Sparkle:**

_Nothing stays the same for long_

_But when it changes doesn't mean it's gone_

**Korra:**

_Time will always get away_

_As it leaves behind another day_

**Fluttershy:**

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

**Jinora:**

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

**Rarity:**

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

**Mako:**

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

**Celestia and Luna:**

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

**Leilani:**

_Few things last, that's all I know_

**Alicorns:**

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

**Rainbow Dash:**

_Been around for a long time_

_Rocking out hard 'cause I'm in my prime_

**Bolin:**

_Maybe it'll change further down the line_

_But my friendship carries on through the ages_

**Asami:**

_Every single style has something_

_Different it can say_

**Applejack:**

_There's nothing wrong with being unique_

_And special in your own way_

**Pinkie Pie:**

_Maybe you wanna be a pop star_

_Get your fifteen minutes of fame, wha, ah! Ah, oh!_

**Varrick:**

_That won't last forever_

_But friendship remains the same, ah-oh, oh!_

**Team Avatar Harmony:**

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

_Things may come and things may go_

_Some go fast and some go slow_

_Few things last, that's all I know_

_But friendship carries on through the ages_

_Ohhh-oh, carries on_

…_.*(~)*…._

_**Psalm 119:105-112~**_

_"Your word is a lamp to my feet_

_And a light to my path._

_I have sworn and confirmed_

_That I will keep Your righteous judgments._

_I am afflicted very much;_

_Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word._

_Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,_

_And teach me Your judgments._

_My life is continually in my hand,_

_Yet I do not forget Your law._

_The wicked have laid a snare for me,_

_Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts. _

_Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,_

_For they are the rejoicing of my heart._

_I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes_

_Forever, to the very end."_

_***(~)***_


End file.
